The summer archaeological research work leads to the
archaeological site of Cueva Pintada, a center managed by the Ministry of Culture of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, with interesting advances for the knowledge of the famous pre-Hispanic city. During the two weeks of fieldwork last July, the archaeological research team was able to identify, in the so-called
Book 12the remains of at least three floors that account for the various times of use and abandonment of this domestic space during the 16th century.
According to the material evidence, the first reports of the campaign, in which the universities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and La Laguna, the archeology company Prored and the specialized staff of the museum and the archaeological park of Gáldar itself took part , reveal that the
The volcanic tuff gradually formed different surfaces, using earth, pottery remains and the stone industry.
In addition, during this time of reusing the house, the works discovered that the space was
continuously restructured.
After
two years without archaeological interventions in the town of Cueva Pintada, the traditional summer search for land on the site finally resumed this month of July in two structures:
53 and 12.
different levels
The performances were completed by the
photogrammetric documentation of certain areas excavated during the last campaign, carried out in 2019, and in the progress of the resolution of historical problems, as is the case with the location of the different levels of occupation of work 12.
Detail of the works carried out in the Galician site. /
More than half of the ceramic artefact remains found in Structure 12 include fragments of
imported pottery, wheel-made. leftover parts
hand-made, of indigenous manufacture, they represent about a quarter of the total.
Finally, a series of pieces identified as
‘of transition’. They are few in number, although they are of great interest to the research team because of the possibilities of studying the production of local ceramics after the conquest.
Book 53 is a
complex archaeological site while enriching. This is due to the evidence in it of different periods of occupation.
First, successive investigations have identified a troglodyte phase, with the holes of several silos, probably used for the storage of food and various goods. It’s a moment that would correspond to the
first phase of occupation of the city (7th and 8th centuries).
Second, this area previously dug into the rock was reused in a
second phase of native occupation. And finally, this structure was reused in a third
colonial phaseas evidenced by the many materials of Hispano-Canarian origin collected during the excavations.
Results
Among the most remarkable discoveries of the campaign is the appearance of
a play, previously identified as a white diamond of Enrique IV of Castile, and a pintadera fragment. The faunal remains include a
first subset of pets, like the most numerous. To a lesser extent, remains of malacofauna (limpets and burgaos) were recovered, as well as ichthyofauna (bone remains of the usual fish species of the site, in particular the old one).
Beyond the results of the archaeological investigation, all the actions were completed by the success of the traditional guided tours of the works by the public who requested them.
As confirmed by the director of the museum and the archaeological park,
Carmen Gloria Rodriguez“The growing interest of the population around this research program enabled 60 people to approach, in two sessions, the research work and the field and laboratory work”.
Since 2015
The traditional excavation campaigns carried out in July took place within the framework of an archeology campus which has become
a reference in terms of intervention and university training since its creation in 2015.
A moment of work under vacuum. /
However, as explained by the director and curator of Cueva Pintada, Carmen Gloria Rodríguez, “it did not seem appropriate to program the campus this year without even having proof of having left behind all the threats that this virus generates.
The coexistence of the group is intense during the two weeks of this program, which not only excavates, but also includes seminars, visits to other sites on the island and accommodation in the same residence. The fact that we are in a seventh wave seems to confirm the relevance of a cautious attitude in this direction”, specifies the person in charge of the site.
To carry out the research actions in two structures, 12 and 53, it was
help from NOE project staff (New Job Opportunities) and the
‘Insert’ scholarships, programs promoted by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and the University Foundation of Las Palmas.
The project is carried out by the technical team of Cueva Pintada, led by the director of the museum, Carmen Gloria Rodríguez,
Jose Ignacio Saenzcurator and
Patricia Prietorestaurateur, in addition to
Jorge Onrubia Paintedscientific co-director of the campaign.
This has made it possible to offer a certain continuity to archaeological research, from a museum point of view, without having to carry out a major operation and with a large number of people, as has been done until now. ”
The year 2023 will be the time to return to the usual excavation campaigns», Details the director of Cueva Pintada.
The Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park has been linked since its conception to the conservation and investigation of the archaeological area in which it is located and which gives it its raison d’être.
Thus, after its opening in 2006, and once the museum dynamic was consolidated, the center’s research plan was designed.
The project is based on three strategic axes: archaeological research, conservation research and research related to the management of audiences and the dissemination of content.
The sieving technique was used during this archaeological campus. /
Within the framework of the study program of the collection, there are a series of specific projects for the analysis of the archaeological structures themselves (materials, techniques of construction and reading of the walls, elaboration of virtual hypotheses…), as well as associated objects and materials, from the lithic industries to the very sediments that shelter them.
The first performances of this program
They started in 2013. However, the arrival of
the covid 19 pandemic led to the suspension of campaigns actual archaeological excavations, which should finally resume in 2023.
.