Castell shelter · Vilafamés

The Abrigo del Castell is one of the most outstanding archaeological sites in the municipality of Vilafamés. Located near the castle, this rocky shelter preserves prehistoric cave paintings that are part of the important set of Levantine art of the Mediterranean arc. The representations, made thousands of years ago by the prehistoric communities that inhabited the area, show mainly human figures and scenes related to daily life, such as hunting activities or the movement of human groups. These images, elaborated with natural pigments on the rock, constitute a valuable testimony of the first artistic and symbolic manifestations of the territory. The Levantine rock art, to which this group belongs, is recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO within the group of rock art manifestations of the Mediterranean arc of the Iberian Peninsula. Due to its fragility and the need to guarantee its conservation, the shelter can only be visited through organized guided tours, which protects the paintings and facilitates their correct interpretation. The Abrigo del Castell extends the historical story of Vilafamés far beyond the Middle Ages, showing that this territory was inhabited since prehistoric times and that even then its inhabitants left testimony of their relationship with the landscape through art.