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Torcal de Antequera Paraje Natural in Andalucia

The limestone karstic formations on Torcal de Antequerra are considered to be unique in the world. Their ‘other wordly’ appearance has been used in a number of science fiction films. Beneath the surface there are more than a thousand chasms and caves formed by the surface water percolating through the rock and dissolving the limestone.

The presence of humans in El Torcal dates back to the middle neolithic, and archaeological sites were found in the Cueva del Toro. There are other sites that testify to human presence in El Torcal in the 8th millennia BC Some of them are: Cueva de la Cuerda, Cueva de Marinaleda and Sima del Hoyo. Signs of human activity are also found on the surface at Hoyo del Francés, Hoyo del Tambor or Fuente de la Higeros.

The Romans left their mark, using limestone from a quarry on the edge of El Torcal in the construction of towns near Torcal such as Antequerra.

The Muslims built a watchtower that remained until the 1970s when it was knocked down by lightning.

The human presence in El Torcal was maintained almost permanently until the last century, when the last known town of El Torcal, Las Sepulturas. The town consisted of a set of small stone dwellings with sheepfolds and farmland, although their main work was carried out in the quarries.

After the abandonment of the town of Las Sepulturas, the only occasional inhabitants of El Torcal were the shepherds, bandits and maquis.

In 2016, Torcal de Antequera was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site