The Sacred Principle Project

We climb up the gravel mountain road. I had always thought of caves as low and deep in the earth, but this one sticks out on the side of the mountain, and we have to walk up a good piece to reach it. From a vantage point, we can see clear to the Mediterranean Sea. Our guide reminds us that 20,000 years ago, when the first humans found and made use of this cave, the shoreline was some 20 kilometers further back, and that there was only low shrubbery, not tall trees. So there was a clear view of the valley -- and the traveling herds of animals they ate.  Photo credit: Carol Buck. 17 December 2022 In this cave, Cova Parpalló, over 5,000 painted and etched rocks have been found. Animals were drawn on flat rock pieces separated from the cave walls, like tiles, and found in different parts of the cave. Carvings directly in the cave walls remain to this day. Our guide tells us that inside the cave, they also found animal bones: rabbit bones were the most common, but also boars, deer and a pre