Cuenca Sanabria, J.; de León Hernández, J.; Marín, C.; Gil, J.C.; Belmonte J. A.; Gil Sarmiento, C; Márquez-Zárate, J.M.
Bibliographical reference
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 18, 4 (2018), 11-18.
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2018
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Description
The almogaren (rock-cut sanctuary) of Risco Caído was discovered in 1996 in the Canary island of Gran
Canaria. It is a paradigmatic example of a complex where light and shadow effects of an astronomical
character have been found within the recent archaeological discoveries of a religious and ritual character in
the Canaries. The main artificially excavated camera of the cultural complex Cave 6 takes the form of a
cylinder, topped with a dome in the form of paraboloid. In this dome, a 2m long tunnel is excavated by
which the light of the Sun penetrates at dawn, from spring to autumn equinoxes. The entering light projects
enigmatic images on the western wall of the sanctuary, where numerous pubic triangles (vulvae − the
universal symbol of fertility −) are recorded in low relief. Two dots of light of the sun first illuminate the
decorated wall in March 19th (and september 25th) in the proleptic Gregorian Calendar, colliding and
forming a single image for the time of the equinox, thus allowing the determination of a rough midpoint in
time between the solstices. The rising and ascending sun then penetrates the cave during the spring and
summer months, reaching its extreme at the moment of the summer solstice when the light takes a form
roughly resembling a phallus illuminating the vulvae. This paper will desscribe the site and these series of
illuminating effects and will discuss how this could have been interpreted by the ancient inhabitants of the
island within the context of a lunar-solar calendar related to the cycle of fertility and permanent regeneration
of life.
Related projects
Archaeoastronomy
The main objective of this project is to study the importance of astronomy as a fundamental part of human culture and civilization from Paleolithic to the present day. Our interest is mainly devoted to the people of the ancient Mediterranean cultures from the Atlantic to the Middle East, with a special dedication to Spain, its geographical
Juan Antonio
Belmonte Avilés