Villar del Humo: Rock Art in the Sierra de las Cuerdas

Villar del Humo introduces a clearly defined cultural theme with its rock art complex: The complex belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage cultural heritage site Arte Rupestre del Arco Mediterráneo de la Península Ibérica. This cultural classification provides a clear thematic framework for planning your day.

Culture

The rock art complex comprises 31 sites with prehistoric rock paintings. The rock paintings in the rock shelter Abrigo rupestre La Peña del Escrito were discovered in 1917 by the forestry engineer E. O’Kelly. The open rock shelter Selva Pascuala is located along the upper course of the Rambla del Anear, outside the geological formation Callejones de Potencio. In the rock shelter Fuente de Selva Pascuala, a depiction of the sun with rays ending in four-fingered hands preserves an unusual motif.

Landscape

The rock paintings are spread across natural rock shelters and small caves embedded in the mountainous landscape of the Sierra de las Cuerdas. Torre Balbina is a distinctive natural formation. It can be reached as a viewpoint via well-signposted paths from the town and serves as a geological landmark of the municipality.

The surroundings of Villar del Humo also include the summit of Cabeza de Villora, the summit of Peña Rubia, the hill Cerro de Enmedio and the spring Fuente de Aparicio. For your own planning, rock art, geological formation, elevations and spring can be considered as different landscape themes. Those seeking a cultural focus can consider the named rock shelters and their motifs together; those more focused on the natural environment can classify the elevations, spring and viewpoint separately.

Paths and visiting

The Ruta Pascuala is an approximately three-hour visiting route to the rock paintings in the Abrigo de Selva Pascuala and the Abrigo “La rambla” in the rock art area of Villar del Humo. The circular hiking trail SL-CU 07 Paseo Fluvial del Río Vencherque begins in the main square of Villar del Humo and follows the bank of the nearby Vencherque River.

The two paths can be compared according to their focus: The Ruta Pascuala is dedicated to the rock paintings, while the SL-CU 07 follows the river course. When planning your day, you can weigh the approximate duration of the Ruta Pascuala and the character of the circular hiking trail separately.

A confirmed reservation is required to visit the Parque Cultural de Villar del Humo; it must be made at least 24 hours in advance. The visitable rock art complex includes a visitor car park, an exhibition room and an audiovisual room.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Villar del Humo, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions on the respective listing page. You can assign different importance to this information depending on the parameters of your stay; the visiting and route information remains a separate point of reference.

Other places

Other places: El Picazo, Las Majadas, Huete, Casas De Fernando Alonso, La Alberca De Záncara, Almodóvar del Pinar, Villanueva de los Escuderos, Villanueva de Guadamejud

For the higher-level travel overview: Cuenca.