Cueva Victoria

Useful Information

Location:	East of Cartagena. RM-12 east exit , on RM-F42 west towards Estreche de San Gines. After 1.2 km forst hill on the right side, signposted. Dirt road to cave entrance above.
Open:	On special days and after appointment. [2020]
Fee:	[2020]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=3,500m
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	J. Gibert, A. Pèrez-Pèrez (1989): A human phalanx from the lower palaeolithic site of cueva victoria (murcia, Spain), Human Evolution, volume 4 #4, pages 307–316 (1989). DOI pdf Luis Gibert, Gary R. Scott, Denis Scholz, Alexander Budsky, Carles Ferràndez, Francesc Ribot, Robert A. Martin, María Lería (2016): Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals, Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 90, 2016, Pages 183-197, ISSN 0047-2484. DOI pdf
Address:	Cueva Victoria.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

early 20th century	caves mined for magnesium.
1984	beginning of excavations.
2009	evaluation for the use as a show cave.

Description

The entrance of Cueva Victoria. public domain

The Cueva Victoria is an important archaeological cave. It is one of the main sites for late Neanderthal remains and one of the pillars of the "Out of Africa" theory. And it contained some of the oldest human remains in existence. Vast quantities of fossil remains, including elephants, horses, hyenas, dolphins, birds, and human material, were excavated. The oldest findings are 1.3 Million years old, remains of the first humans living in Europe. This makes this site one of the most important archaeological and paleontological sites in Europe.

In 2009, the cave was evaluated for use as a show cave. The archaeological excavations required an access road, trails in the cave and electric light. As a result, the cave is more or less already developed. Since this time, the cave is open several times a year on special occasions, but unfortunately it was not opened as a show cave until now. However, many findings from the cave are on display in the Museo Arqueologico Municipal (Municipal Archaeological Museum) in Cartagena. It also shows many items from other caves in the area.