The Underground Research and Exploration
Project
The Project was launched in the late 1970s,
coordinated by a group of cavers who were already
involved with the research team of the Sierra de la
Utrera. The project is coordinated by the Casares
Underground Exploration Group, with the main ob-
jective of prospecting, exploring and the cataloguing
of its cavities; These speleological activities feed
information about the underground and archaeolo-
gical surface locations of the Sierra to the scientific
research team.
Currently, in Torcal de Casares-Karst de la Utrera
the number of cavities recorded within the catalo-
gue of the area are ninety-four, of which twenty-two
are listed as archaeological sites. Among the most
important of the Sierra are the Cave of the Drum,
the Ixodes Well, The Cave of the Grand Duke, the
Underground System of the Hediondas (Simas He-
dionda 2 and 4) and the Sima Hedionda 3, which
with its size of 3.5 km, is one of the ten great cavi-
ties of Andalusia.
Some History
Among the archaeological finds, the pre-Roman
walled complex of Villavieja stands out, with a len-
gth of more than 250 metres.
Interest in the area can also be attributed to the
findings produced from recent investigations con-
ducted in the Ancient Neolithic Funeral Complex
within the Hediondas Underground System, which
have brought to light evidence of schematic rock
art similar in chronology of that already found in
the Great Duke, making this area one of the most
important in Andalusia for the research of early civi-
lizations in southwestern Europe.
As a result, we find ourselves with a high concen-
tration of heritage sites, all encompassed within a
well-defined and homogeneous natural environment
given that it is the southernmost karst complex in
Europe and the karst complex with the lowest altitu-
de in Andalusia. It is also a unique geographical and
geological enclave due to its proximity to the African
continent, with great scenic beauty and a large con-
centration of natural values related to its lithological,
geomorphological, hydrological, climatic, floristic and
faunal originality, reflected in its notable contribution
to the geo-diversity and biodiversity of the region.
58
OTWO 08 / MARCH 2020
OTWO 08 / MARCH 2020
The highlights of this environment are the pre-
historic settlements found in the area, both outdoors
and in caves. Alongside areas containing a supply of
raw material dating to the Lower Palaeolithic period,
the existence of important cave stratigraphy’s has
also been found, such as in the Cave of the Grand
Duke.
Its proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar provides
substantial added value for the investigation of
transcendental anthropological aspects such as the
change from Neanderthals to anatomically modern
man and the relationship that both species had with
riding on horseback in both Africa and Europe, as
well as other aspects of great interest for understan-
ding the dynamics of expansion of the first Neolithic
societies in the Western Mediterranean. It is likely
that the cavities were used as seasonal dwellings
and as a necropolis, of which the main highlight is
unique funerary complex in the Underground System
of the Hediondas, one of the oldest in southwestern
Europe which dates back to the seventh millennium
BC; to all of these key points of interest we must also
include the fact that some of these cavities house
examples of rock art.
Recently, a Lower Palaeolithic site was discove-
red on the lands surface (Late Acheulean, 140,000
years BC) containing remnants of stone industry,
which has been associated with deposits dating back
to the Middle Pleistocene era found in the channel of
the Arroyo de Gainos which runs through the Canuto
Chico, turning what was known about prehistoric ti-
mes in the Sierra de la Utrera on to its head.
During the Copper Age buildings were built in
this area, which indicates that this space can be
included within the first anthropized landscapes of
the region. During the 2nd millennium BC, the Sierra
de la Utrera already housed the largest Bronze Age
settlement in the region, underlining and confirming
the archaeological evidence that the area witnessed
the first exchanges with Phoenician navigators back
in the 10th century B.C.
A robust walled enclosure corresponding to the
Iron Age (6th-7th century B.C) was adapted to the
rock, where a well-preserved entrance flanked by
two towers can be found.
From Roman times, some remains have been pre-
served that likely relate to economic activities linked
59