Category: Archaeology > Ensemble
District: Guarda > Vila Nova de Foz Côa > Almendra > Penascosa
The Archaeological Sites of the Côa Valley, with its remarkable Penascosa rock art site, are located in the Northeast region of Portugal, in the district of Guarda. This World Heritage site is situated in the municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, near the town of Almendra, in the area known as Penascosa.
The surrounding landscape is marked by the rugged and wild beauty of the Côa Valley, a tributary of the Douro River. It is a territory of rocky escarpments, Mediterranean vegetation, and the meandering course of the river, which together create a natural setting of deep tranquility and isolation, essential for the preservation of this extraordinary heritage from the Upper Paleolithic.
The Penascosa site represents one of the cornerstones of the vast archaeological complex of the Côa Valley, recognized by UNESCO in 1998. This location is internationally renowned for containing one of the most significant concentrations of open-air Paleolithic rock art. The discoveries, which began in the 1990s, revealed an unprecedented visual record of the life and beliefs of communities that inhabited the region over 25,000 years ago.
On the schist rocks overlooking the river, our ancestors engraved remarkably detailed and expressive figures. Representations of large animals predominate, such as wild horses, aurochs (extinct cattle), deer, and goats, but there are also anthropomorphic figures and enigmatic geometric symbols. The engraving techniques vary between pecking, abrasion, and fine incision, revealing a profound artistic and technical mastery.
The uniqueness of Penascosa, and of the Côa Valley in general, lies in the fact that this ancient art is not found in dark caves, as is more common, but on rock panels exposed to the elements. This particularity allows for a dynamic interaction of the art with natural light, which enhances the contours of the engravings throughout the day, and with the river environment itself.
Visiting Penascosa is to embark on a journey back in time, where ancestral art merges with the natural landscape. The Côa River, which has flowed unchanged for millennia, is a silent witness to these creations and an integral part of the scenery that inspired the Paleolithic artists. The experience offers a rare opportunity to contemplate human creativity in its origins, in an almost untouched natural context.
Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sítios_de_arte_rupestre_do_Vale_do_Coa
Coordinates DD: 41.00569680283288,-7.105174403465399
Coordinates DMS: 41°00'20.5"N 07°06'18.6"W
Weather Almendra
On-duty Pharmacy Almendra
