The Community of Madrid has opened the period of guided visits to the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Neanderthals, in Pinilla del Valle, aimed at the general public and school groups.
Those interested can make the reservation through the website www.elvalledelosneandertales.com to participate in an activity that will last from April 1 to November 30, except between August 15 and September 15, when the work is carried out. of excavation at the sites, managed by the Regional Archaeological and Paleontological Museum, based in Alcalá de Henares.
In a note, the regional government details that visits are offered from Tuesday to Sunday, in groups of up to 25 people and at different times: 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. (Sundays and holidays only the first two).
Two groups are hosted in each time slot, so that up to 150 people can be received in a single day.
The tour lasts two hours along four kilometers to see all the sites that make up the park (Cueva del Camino, Cueva Des-Cubierta, Cueva de la Buena Pinta, Abrigo de Navalmaíllo and Cueva Chica).
The price is 2 euros for adults and 1 euro for children between 8 and 12 years old, and children under 8 have free admission.
School groups can make their reservation using a specific form available on the same page. In his case, the cost is 1 euro per student.
According to the Community of Madrid, in 2023 a greater influx of public is expected "due to the worldwide impact of the publication in the prestigious scientific journal 'Nature Human Behavior', of the conclusions of the research carried out over fourteen years at the site, that confirm the symbolic capacity of Neanderthals".
The publication, focused on the hunting sanctuary, an exceptional set of skulls of large herbivores found in the Cueva Des-Cubierta, has revealed "how exceptional this archaeological resource is in scientific terms."
Since its inauguration in 2015, the Archaeological Park of the Valley of the Neanderthals has disclosed and publicized the most peculiar aspects of the way of life of these hominids by members of the multidisciplinary team of researchers from the sites.
This research project is directed by the archaeologist Enrique Baquedano, the paleontologist Juan Luis Arsuaga and the geologist Alfredo Pérez-González.
