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stone cavadero history mahos barranco

Barranco del Cavadero, the history of the mahos in stone
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Barranco del Cavadero, the history of the mahos in stone.

The Archaeological Zone of the Barranco del Cavadero is located in the municipality of La Oliva, specifically from the place where the ravines of Risco Azul and Cavadero converge. From this point, popularly known as Peña Azul or Pie de la Virgen to Playa del Chinchorro, south of El Jablito, it is called Barranco del Cavadero. At its source and along its course, Quaternary alluvial deposits and basaltic formations formed by Series III lavas, belonging to the Pleistocene, predominate.

Pre-European history of Fuerteventura


The rock engravings of the Barranco del Cavadero were discovered by the drafting group of the Advance of the Archaeological Chart of Fuerteventura in the eighties and since then they constitute one of the most spectacular rock ensembles of Fuerteventura, both for the place where they are located and for the reasons represented. These cultural manifestations belonging, according to the researchers, to the society of the mahos, are an instrument that contribute to reveal aspects related to the pre-European stage of Fuerteventura.

The inscriptions of the Barranco del Cavadero are engraved on basaltic blocks located on the walls of the ravine bed and are composed of spans distributed in three stations along its course.

According to the proposals of various researchers, the engravings of the Barranco del Cavadero are classified as: alphabetical and geometric.

(a) Alphabetical

In Fuerteventura there are two types of alphabetical engravings; Libyan-Berber alphabetic characters and pseudo-Latin alphabetic characters. Both are present in the Barranco del Cavadero and even overlap in some panels.

Berber-lyrical prints


In the first case, the Libyan-Berber engravings are made using abrasion and chopping techniques, maintaining a vertical arrangement. They are associated with other motifs such as supposedly Latin and geometric engravings. The most representative are on the right bank of the Barranco, in the place known as Peña Azul or Pie de la Virgen, a stretch of the channel characterized by the intense polishing of the rocks due to the strong flow to which they have been subjected in the past and where the sandy bed is ideal for the extraction of water by the technique of eres. Some researchers have related the place where these engravings appear with the possibility of obtaining water, valuing similar phenomena in other parts of the Archipelago and North Africa, where inscriptions of Libyan characters appear near water points. For some authors the presence of the engravings in sites with water resources gives the place a certain form of sacralization. This hypothesis is reinforced by the curious phenomenon that in the place, according to tradition, the Virgin appeared, whose footprint was inscribed on the rock. The Christian sacralization of an aboriginal cultural center is a phenomenon that is repeated in various parts of the island.

Pseudo-Latin prints


In the second case, the pseudo-Latin engravings are made using the incision technique and maintain a horizontal position. These engravings appear alongside Libyan-Berber inscriptions as well as geometrical ones. About these engravings there are several theories, some authors believe that these inscriptions keep analogies with the signs of the Pompeian Cursive alphabet. Others integrate them into a totally different type and classify them as a Libyan-Canarian.

However, for most researchers these engravings confirm the Roman presence in the Archipelago, related to some type of commercial or exploratory activity. They also suggest the possibility that the first settlers of the eastern islands belonged to Romanized Berber tribes and connoisseurs of a rudimentary Latin language and scripts.

b) Geometric.

These engravings are the most difficult to interpret. Sometimes they appear isolated and others mixed with the previous motifs. The predominant technique is the incision and the motifs are rectilinear, triangles, reticulated, square, etc.



Source: Government of the Canary Islands
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