Caves of Altamira

Altamira (Spanish for 'high views') is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.

Its special relevance comes from the fact that it was the first cave in which prehistoric cave paintings were discovered. When the discovery was first made public in 1880, it led to a bitter public controversy between experts which continued into the early 20th century, as many of them did not believe prehistoric man had the intellectual capacity to produce any kind of artistic expression. The acknowledgement of the authenticity of the paintings, which finally came in 1902, changed forever the perception of prehistoric human beings.

It is located near the town of Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain, 30 km west of the city of Santander. The cave with its paintings has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Steely Dan composed a song about the caves called "Caves of Altamira" which was released on their "Royal Scam" album in 1976

On the stone an ancient hand

In a faded yellow-green

Made alive a worldly wonder

Often told but never seen

Now and ever bound to labor

On the sea and in the sky

Every man and beast appeared

A friend as real as I