| What is it? |
The archaeological site at Atapuerca consists of 7 caves and 3 open air excavation sites, where archaeologists first discovered European hominids as old as 1 million years! |
| What makes it historical? |
Before 2007, it was common knowledge that human ancestors reached the European continent around 800,000 years ago. Then, the discovery of a single jawbone at Atapuerca completely changed that dogma and put Homo antecessor in Europe at least 1.2 million years ago! This shed some light on the many different species of humans in the quest to find out why only sapiens made the cut! It is believed that these caves served as a natural death trap for animals and as a funeral location for early hominids, due to the abundance of paintings and ceremonial artifacts found near the remains! The combined findings of these sites paint a detailed picture of the early years of human development! |
| HOW CAN I HELP KEEP IT HISTORICAL? |
IT’S EASY!
- You can pay the entrance fee and contribute toward site maintenance, sign design, and other visitor services!
- You can donate to the Fundación Atapuerca!
- You can be a responsible visitor! That means respecting the signs and pathways and treating all structures and artifacts with respect! After all, they’ve endured a lot already to make it into the present! They’ll need our help to make it to the future!
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| How do I find it? |
The park doesn’t have a listed address, but you will find it about half a mile before the village of Atapuerca, as you walk the Camino! You can also take a shuttle bus on Saturdays from the Museo de la Evolución Humana in Burgos!
From Barcelona: ~355mi (572km) — 6hrs
From Madrid: ~163mi (263km) — 2.8hrs
From Sevilla: ~451mi (726km) — 7.6hrs
From Santiago de Compostela: ~326mi (525km) — 5.5hrs |
| When should I go? |
The archaeological park is open from April 1 until December 15. Between then, the entire village is largely shut down! Hours are seasonal and complicated by siesta, so let’s put it this way. If you want to visit the Parque Arqueológico, try it Tuesday through Sunday between 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM, and between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM! |
