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| Access to the caves is restricted because the CO2 exhaled by visitors damages the drawings |
What makes the Altamira Caves, in Cantabria, Northern Spain, so special are the amazing drawings that cover the walls and ceiling.
The drawings, mainly of bison, horses and deer, are thought to have been drawn between 16,500 and 14,000 years ago. They are incredible because of their skilful use of colour. In some places the artist has used the natural contours of the rock to give the images a 3D quality.
The drawings were discovered by a local nobleman and his daughter in 1879 and have attracted visitors ever since.
But today you may have to book two or three years in advance to see them, because access is restricted to preserve the quality of the drawings. The caves are included in the Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO and there is now a museum nearby where an accurate reproduction is on display.
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