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30-08-2019, 09:48 PM
The latest courtesy of RTVAC:
The use of aboriginal almagre is confirmed for the first time in Fuerteventura in the excavation of the Cave of Villaverde.
The City Council of La Oliva and the General Directorate of Heritage finance the research carried out by the Arenisca Arqueología company, which in this phase is aimed at studying the town planning, confirming the chronology of the occupation of the site or trying to locate aboriginal seeds for the first time in Fuerteventura
The archaeological excavation of the Cave of Villaverde continues to throw findings of great interest to know the way of life of the ancient inhabitants of Fuerteventura. During the second phase of the investigation, the team of archaeologists has verified, for the first time at a site in Fuerteventura, the use of almagre by the aborigines of the Mahoh people.
The City Council of La Oliva and the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands support with public funding this project executed by the company Arenisca Arqueología. The director of the investigation, Rosa López, explained today that "until now the use of the almagre was unknown in the archaeological sites of Fuerteventura. Here is the mineral associated with tools used to crush the ore and obtain the pigment, and also applied to ceramic fragments. "
"It is something that was already pointed out in the first excavations developed in the cave in the eighties, and that is now confirmed. We have ceramics with incised decoration that certainly belongs to the Mahoh culture and that has blood. Until now it was only documented I use it in Gran Canaria, and therefore it is something very new and interesting in majorera archeology, "added the team archaeologist and materials expert, Derque Castellano.
The mayor of La Oliva, Isaí Blanco, valued in his visit today to the site that "we are very excited about this investigation. The researchers tell us that the Cave of Villaverde can be occupied for at least a thousand years, and that it has great potential to continue understanding how our ancestors lived. It is an aspect of the majorera culture that still has a great journey ahead, and therefore from the City Council of La Oliva we want to continue with the project. "
The Councilor for Culture and Heritage, Iballa Pérez, thanked "especially the involvement in the project of the General Directorate of Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands", and also "the support of the Cabildo in the procedures that have been necessary. Unity and collaboration between institutions it is fundamental in this field, and therefore we hope that the three administrations can collaborate in the future to continue advancing in this project ".
Stones to get almagre and a bucio
Among the findings so far in this second phase, it is worth mentioning lithic pieces associated with the acquisition of almagre and a bucio. The almagre is a pigment of mineral origin, used by humans in different prehistoric cultures around the world and for all kinds of decorations. It is caused by the reddening of the earth by a volcanic wash, and the pigment is obtained by crushing the material and mixing the powder with water, grease or other oleic elements.
The bucio is a conch that is used in cultures around the world as an instrument or communication tool. It is an element that especially identifies the pre-Hispanic Canarian culture, and has continued to be used for centuries after the conquest.
More findings about the mahoh culture
As explained by the director of the excavation, this campaign is in its equator, and will last until the end of September. "We are executing the research proposals raised in the first phase, with excavations inside and outside the cave."
With respect to the exterior, although this section will have to overcome the problem of digging the large amount of stuffed material - up to 1.5 meters in some areas-, "we hope to be able to clarify how was the town planning that was established around the cave ", advances Rosa López.
As for the interior, excavations will begin next week. "In the interior the strata are more intact than in the exterior, and therefore it is where better results are expected. We hope to find aboriginal seeds for the first time in Fuerteventura - which aims to determine if there were crops - and send them to analyze with other materials such as coals and bones, including remains associated with the burial discovered in 1979 ".
In addition to the almagre, among the elements found during this campaign, and "thanks to the work carried out on site by the team's curator, interesting pieces have already been found as a punch of exquisite quality, a 'bucio' with its corresponding incision to produce sound, or a very rich sample of necklace bead material. Also numerous bones of animals in the same line as in previous phases, of goat, sheep and pig, and whose detailed analysis will be determined later by the wildlife expert, "adds Rosa López .
It will be once the excavation campaign is finished and during the elaboration of the memory until the month of December, in which the dating of the excavated material will be carried out, which will allow to verify the dates and update the chronology of occupation of the cave, and so " know with greater certainty for how long and at what stages the site was occupied, "concludes the archaeologist.
Bioanthropological studies of the remains of the burial of an adult man and a child that was discovered in 1979 (currently in custody by the Department of Heritage of the Cabildo) will be one of the highlights of the analytical phase, in addition to the analysis of the material extracted in the first phase to learn more about the vegetation, the climate and the landscape in the past.
Research and dissemination
The City Council has also paid for the installation of a series of large-format interpretive canvases outside the cave, offering visitors interesting information about how the cave was discovered in 1979, about the burial of a man and a boy who appeared then , or about the culture of the mahos, such as the containers and utensils they used.
When they are next to the Villaverde crossing, the tarpaulins cover the enclosure of the cave and draw the visitor's attention to the existence of this space. A QR code redirects to the website www.yacimientocuevadevillaverde.org, where extensive information about the site is disseminated, such as interviews with experts, an excavation diary, or an interesting virtual three-dimensional visit to the volcanic tube.
Guided tours every Friday
Within the dissemination actions on the Cave of Villaverde, the team of researchers of the Arenisca Arqueología company organizes guided tours every Friday, at 1:00 p.m., during August and September, with the exception of the next day 20 to coincide with the insular festival of La Peña. To reserve a place, contact the Department of Culture, at 928861904 (extensions 302 and 354).
The importance of an abandoned site for 30 years
The Cave of Villaverde was discovered in 1979, after the collapse that some works caused in this volcanic tube. Inside there appeared an interesting aboriginal burial, as well as vestiges of settlement. After the first excavations carried out in the eighties, last year the excavations that have confirmed, three decades after leaving the investigation, the importance of the deposit were resumed.
The site was made up of the remains of an adult man and a child occupying a strange position above his head, in addition to numerous utensils, pottery, and bones of animals now extinct in Fuerteventura, as is the case with the monk seal. The burial, which currently guards the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, was exposed for a long time at the Molino de Antigua.
The Cave of Villaverde is currently in the process of archaeological research, after almost 40 years since its discovery, an initiative promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands, from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands, and the City Council of La Oliva. The municipal institution owns the land where the cave is, declared BIC along with the entire environment of the plot, which has contributed to rehabilitate and condition from the Department of Works and Services.
A burial of the s. XII-XII and a house of the s. VIII
The dating of the bone remains of "Individual 1", a man in his forties who appeared buried next to a child of four, located in a strange position on the head of the adult, has confirmed that this burial corresponds to the aboriginal culture, dating between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
With respect to the structures of the exterior, they would be even older, throwing the carbon analysis 14 of remains of goat bones and ashes that the oldest structures investigated could correspond to a home of the eighth century.
During the first phase thousands of fragments (300 bags of material) were recovered, which are still to be analyzed, such as shells, bones of animals such as goat, sheep and even pig - something very novel and striking - and also of marine animals such as fish and cetaceans, in addition to large amounts of ashes that endorse a prolonged occupation. With respect to material culture, ceramics, refined manufacturing tools, and even decorative elements that speak of a complex society have appeared.
In the excavations of the eighties bones of monk seal were also discovered, being that of Villaverde the only site where these remains have appeared.
![[Image: RJU3pTS.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/RJU3pTS.jpg)
![[Image: sT1FD0f.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/sT1FD0f.jpg)
![[Image: 2yKGEux.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/2yKGEux.jpg)
The use of aboriginal almagre is confirmed for the first time in Fuerteventura in the excavation of the Cave of Villaverde.
The City Council of La Oliva and the General Directorate of Heritage finance the research carried out by the Arenisca Arqueología company, which in this phase is aimed at studying the town planning, confirming the chronology of the occupation of the site or trying to locate aboriginal seeds for the first time in Fuerteventura
The archaeological excavation of the Cave of Villaverde continues to throw findings of great interest to know the way of life of the ancient inhabitants of Fuerteventura. During the second phase of the investigation, the team of archaeologists has verified, for the first time at a site in Fuerteventura, the use of almagre by the aborigines of the Mahoh people.
The City Council of La Oliva and the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands support with public funding this project executed by the company Arenisca Arqueología. The director of the investigation, Rosa López, explained today that "until now the use of the almagre was unknown in the archaeological sites of Fuerteventura. Here is the mineral associated with tools used to crush the ore and obtain the pigment, and also applied to ceramic fragments. "
"It is something that was already pointed out in the first excavations developed in the cave in the eighties, and that is now confirmed. We have ceramics with incised decoration that certainly belongs to the Mahoh culture and that has blood. Until now it was only documented I use it in Gran Canaria, and therefore it is something very new and interesting in majorera archeology, "added the team archaeologist and materials expert, Derque Castellano.
The mayor of La Oliva, Isaí Blanco, valued in his visit today to the site that "we are very excited about this investigation. The researchers tell us that the Cave of Villaverde can be occupied for at least a thousand years, and that it has great potential to continue understanding how our ancestors lived. It is an aspect of the majorera culture that still has a great journey ahead, and therefore from the City Council of La Oliva we want to continue with the project. "
The Councilor for Culture and Heritage, Iballa Pérez, thanked "especially the involvement in the project of the General Directorate of Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands", and also "the support of the Cabildo in the procedures that have been necessary. Unity and collaboration between institutions it is fundamental in this field, and therefore we hope that the three administrations can collaborate in the future to continue advancing in this project ".
Stones to get almagre and a bucio
Among the findings so far in this second phase, it is worth mentioning lithic pieces associated with the acquisition of almagre and a bucio. The almagre is a pigment of mineral origin, used by humans in different prehistoric cultures around the world and for all kinds of decorations. It is caused by the reddening of the earth by a volcanic wash, and the pigment is obtained by crushing the material and mixing the powder with water, grease or other oleic elements.
The bucio is a conch that is used in cultures around the world as an instrument or communication tool. It is an element that especially identifies the pre-Hispanic Canarian culture, and has continued to be used for centuries after the conquest.
More findings about the mahoh culture
As explained by the director of the excavation, this campaign is in its equator, and will last until the end of September. "We are executing the research proposals raised in the first phase, with excavations inside and outside the cave."
With respect to the exterior, although this section will have to overcome the problem of digging the large amount of stuffed material - up to 1.5 meters in some areas-, "we hope to be able to clarify how was the town planning that was established around the cave ", advances Rosa López.
As for the interior, excavations will begin next week. "In the interior the strata are more intact than in the exterior, and therefore it is where better results are expected. We hope to find aboriginal seeds for the first time in Fuerteventura - which aims to determine if there were crops - and send them to analyze with other materials such as coals and bones, including remains associated with the burial discovered in 1979 ".
In addition to the almagre, among the elements found during this campaign, and "thanks to the work carried out on site by the team's curator, interesting pieces have already been found as a punch of exquisite quality, a 'bucio' with its corresponding incision to produce sound, or a very rich sample of necklace bead material. Also numerous bones of animals in the same line as in previous phases, of goat, sheep and pig, and whose detailed analysis will be determined later by the wildlife expert, "adds Rosa López .
It will be once the excavation campaign is finished and during the elaboration of the memory until the month of December, in which the dating of the excavated material will be carried out, which will allow to verify the dates and update the chronology of occupation of the cave, and so " know with greater certainty for how long and at what stages the site was occupied, "concludes the archaeologist.
Bioanthropological studies of the remains of the burial of an adult man and a child that was discovered in 1979 (currently in custody by the Department of Heritage of the Cabildo) will be one of the highlights of the analytical phase, in addition to the analysis of the material extracted in the first phase to learn more about the vegetation, the climate and the landscape in the past.
Research and dissemination
The City Council has also paid for the installation of a series of large-format interpretive canvases outside the cave, offering visitors interesting information about how the cave was discovered in 1979, about the burial of a man and a boy who appeared then , or about the culture of the mahos, such as the containers and utensils they used.
When they are next to the Villaverde crossing, the tarpaulins cover the enclosure of the cave and draw the visitor's attention to the existence of this space. A QR code redirects to the website www.yacimientocuevadevillaverde.org, where extensive information about the site is disseminated, such as interviews with experts, an excavation diary, or an interesting virtual three-dimensional visit to the volcanic tube.
Guided tours every Friday
Within the dissemination actions on the Cave of Villaverde, the team of researchers of the Arenisca Arqueología company organizes guided tours every Friday, at 1:00 p.m., during August and September, with the exception of the next day 20 to coincide with the insular festival of La Peña. To reserve a place, contact the Department of Culture, at 928861904 (extensions 302 and 354).
The importance of an abandoned site for 30 years
The Cave of Villaverde was discovered in 1979, after the collapse that some works caused in this volcanic tube. Inside there appeared an interesting aboriginal burial, as well as vestiges of settlement. After the first excavations carried out in the eighties, last year the excavations that have confirmed, three decades after leaving the investigation, the importance of the deposit were resumed.
The site was made up of the remains of an adult man and a child occupying a strange position above his head, in addition to numerous utensils, pottery, and bones of animals now extinct in Fuerteventura, as is the case with the monk seal. The burial, which currently guards the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, was exposed for a long time at the Molino de Antigua.
The Cave of Villaverde is currently in the process of archaeological research, after almost 40 years since its discovery, an initiative promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands, from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands, and the City Council of La Oliva. The municipal institution owns the land where the cave is, declared BIC along with the entire environment of the plot, which has contributed to rehabilitate and condition from the Department of Works and Services.
A burial of the s. XII-XII and a house of the s. VIII
The dating of the bone remains of "Individual 1", a man in his forties who appeared buried next to a child of four, located in a strange position on the head of the adult, has confirmed that this burial corresponds to the aboriginal culture, dating between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
With respect to the structures of the exterior, they would be even older, throwing the carbon analysis 14 of remains of goat bones and ashes that the oldest structures investigated could correspond to a home of the eighth century.
During the first phase thousands of fragments (300 bags of material) were recovered, which are still to be analyzed, such as shells, bones of animals such as goat, sheep and even pig - something very novel and striking - and also of marine animals such as fish and cetaceans, in addition to large amounts of ashes that endorse a prolonged occupation. With respect to material culture, ceramics, refined manufacturing tools, and even decorative elements that speak of a complex society have appeared.
In the excavations of the eighties bones of monk seal were also discovered, being that of Villaverde the only site where these remains have appeared.
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