In the heart of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, a spectacular chain near the capital of Spain, also known as the Madrid Mountains, the researchers have brought to light an amazing truth about the ancestor of Europeans: an Neanderthal settlement that has resisted for thousands of years, due to a remarkable combination of natural factors.
A new study by Complutense University in Madrid reveals that this enclave was one of the richest and most stable regions throughout the Iberian Peninsula – perhaps even in the world – regarding the essential resources for survival.
Pinilla del Valle, the lost village of Neanderthalians
90,000 years ago, in the area of the present Pinilla del Valle, located in the upper valley of the Lozoya River, Neanderthal people found an ideal place to live. In the Cueva del Camino Cave, which has become an important archaeological site today, evidence of their lives has been discovered, confirming the constant presence of Neanderthalians in this region.
Archaeological excavations in the Neanderthalians Valley in the Madrid Madrid Elespanol & others
Studies show that about 34 individuals lived here in a stable and organized community. Choosing this area was not accidental-the combination of isolation, abundant resources and easy hunting access has ensured their survival. Although isolated, the region was extremely rich in the fauna: deer, wild boars, beasts, horses, but also missing species, such as steppe or bourgeois. This diversity of animals has transformed the area into a true “Prehistoric supermarket”giving them everything they needed, without leading a nomad life.
Moreover, the archaeological evidence suggests that this area has been continuously inhabited throughout the millennia, indicating a sustainable and balanced relationship between Neanderthals and the environment.
A rare prehistoric life model
“It is a unique example in the world”says Enrique Baquedano, director of the Madrid Archeology and Paleontology Museum (one of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain, which includes the capital Madrid and the adjacent areas) and the coordinator of the excavations. According to him, the valley of “Madrid Mountains” It was not only a shelter, but a real human activity center, where Neanderthal people shared the same ecosystem as predators as the cave lions.
Although the community was relatively small, the researchers believe that these people interact with other groups in close regions to avoid genetic problems caused by consanguinization. “A group with so few adults would not be a long -term genetic viable”explains Juan Luis Arsuaga, the scientific director of the archaeological excavations.
A corner of Madrid that was “fashionable” 90,000 years ago
This new research strengthens the hypothesis that the Lozoya Valley was an essential point in the study of prehistoric life. Here, nature offered exceptional conditions for the formation of a stable community – a phenomenon rarely encountered among Neanderthalians, which were usually more mobile.
Long before the modern Madrid became life, this wild corner was already “The luxury neighborhood” of the time – a place where life could be lived almost sedentary, in balance with nature.
Cueva del Camino: Between the vignette of predators and Neanderthalian dwelling
Pinilla del Valle is an extended area that includes several important archaeological sites, including Calvero from Higuera and Cueva del Camino Cave. The research began here in 1979, when a fossiliferous cavity was accidentally discovered during the construction work of the Pinilla dam. The first archaeological excavations have made evidence about the presence of Neanderthalians in this area.
Initially, the Cueva del Camino cave was considered a human settlement, as scraps associated with human activities were discovered. Later, however, the research showed that the cave had been a bitch of the square hyenas (Crocuta Crocuta), prehistoric species that brought here large mammals – including Neanderthalia – most likely.
However, the new excavations continue to bring convincing evidence of an active human presence: tools, hunted animals and other traces of daily life. Moreover, human bones consumed by the hyenas were discovered, which contributes to the outline of a more complex image in the area, 90,000 years ago.
Thus, recent research reconfirms in a nuanced way the initial hypothesis: Cueva del Camino was a space shared by people and predators, used for different purposes, for different times.
