Atapuerca archaeological site: this is what a World Heritage visit in Burgos is like.

The paleontological sites of Atapuerca They are located 16 kilometers from the city ​​of Burgos and they are considered among the most important in the world due to the quantity and quality of the remains found and the broad time span they cover.

Its scientific importance is such that Unesco He registered them in the year 2000 on the list of World Heritage.

Their proximity to the capital of Burgos makes them a good combination for a Weekend getaway or even a bridge.

Indeed, in the city ​​of Burgos, in addition to its splendid cathedral, there are other unique monuments such as the Las Huelgas monastery and Miraflores Charterhouse and, in addition, the Museum of Evolution.

The latter is the essential complement to the visit to Atapuerca and we should not miss it if we are really interested in the topic, since the fossils from the sites are shown there.

What has been discovered in Atapuerca, paleontological sites in Burgos

En Atapuerca Very important remains had been discovered in the Chasm of the bones in 1992, but its true importance became clear after the discovery in 1994.

We are referring to human remains more than 900.000 years old, which were considered to belong to the homo predecessor, a species completely unknown until then.

Over time, in deposits of the Atapuerca mountain range Fossil remains and evidence of five different hominid species have been found.

The specific objectives of the Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis (from 50.000 years ago), preneanderthals (from 500.000 years ago), homo predecessor and also of a species yet to be determined, the Homo sp., from 1.300.000 years ago.

Being a paleontological site which is located in the middle of nature and where work continues, the visit is regulated by different conditions and cannot be done individually or on our own.

This is the Atapuerca site, a World Heritage Site

Although the complex is made up of different sites, such as the Ghost Cave, El Mirador, the complex of the Major cave and El Silo cave, in addition to open-air settlements, with our experience We inform you that the tourist visit is concentrated in several points within the Railway Trench.

The route is outdoors and although it is essentially flat and relatively short, it may present some difficulties for some people with reduced mobility.

You must also take into account weather conditions, which may cause visits to be cancelled.

As said before, The visit is done in a group and the site is accessed by coach in the company of people who have reserved the visit for a certain time.

Of course, it is necessary to make a reservation a little in advance.

Depending on the program for that visit, the bus may leave the SEDGE (Center for Experimental Archeology) or the CAYAC (Reservoir Access Center).

This is the experience of visiting Atapuerca

On our visit to the Atapuerca deposits, we start from SEDGE, which is dedicated to dissemination of archeology, especially the evolution of technological aspects and that it is located near the town of Atapuerca.

We went a little in advance of the time of our visit to be able to explore it.

Archeology outreach center

In the outdoor space you can take a chronological tour of the technological innovations and inside we will see the first permanent exhibition in Spain on experimental archeology.

Here we will see the production of tools and fire over time, different forms of habitat and a tour of ceramics, weaving and basketry.

As these are reproductions, you can play and experiment with most of the pieces.

The journey from SEDGE to Railway Trench It is done by bus.

The trench is a cut opened in the limestone rock more than a century ago for the passage of a mining train. This work brought to light three of the most important paleontological sites, which are the ones that are visited.

This is the Elephant Chasm, The Gallery and Great Sink.

When there are excavations, in June and July, the visit is made along a path that follows the upper edge of the cut. The rest of the year you walk through the same trench.

At the beginning of the visit, the guide provides some general notes about the place; Thus we learn that Sierra de Atapuerca It is a passage area between the basin of the ebro and the Duero.

Millennia ago the area was wetter than today and the Arlanzón River It passed much closer than today, so there was good access to the water.

Furthermore, caves have always been abundant in the area, which have been used as shelter and refuge.

All the conditions were in place to be an inhabited place for more than a million years.

Sima del Elefante in Atapuerca

Upon entering the trench, the first stop is made at the Elephant Chasm.

Is site with oldest human fossils known to date throughout Western Europe and dating back 1,3 million years.

But there are also remains from 250.000 years ago. All this tells us the importance of this place.

At different levels they have been found remains of numerous species of animals, from bears, horses and elephants to small mammals and, above all, a large number of birds.

Some stone tools have been discovered here in connection with remains of animals that would have been consumed.

But the big find came in 2007 and 2008, when a human jaw and phalanx were found, the first human remains more than a million years old discovered in Western Europe.

In 2022, more remains appeared, and there is no longer any doubt that the Sierra de Atapuerca was inhabited 1.300.000 years ago.

They were probably the first human settlers of the Iberian Peninsula.

This place will surely continue to provide fundamental data for European paleontology in the periods of the Lower and middle Pleistocene.

Gallery Complex, animal trap

If we advance a few meters, we will reach the Gallery Complex, which presents a very peculiar interest since it was never used as a refuge or burial place.

In reality it was a trap that preneanderthals They took the opportunity to get meat from animals that had fallen accidentally.

This grotto was filled with sediment over many millennia. The remains found range between 500.000 and 180.000 years old.

This chasm has different entrances. A vertical, open to the outside, became a death trap for any animal that fell into it.

Another entrance, through which one could easily enter and exit, was used by the hominids of the time to enter to recover the meat of animals killed by the fall.

This was also done by other species of large carnivorous mammals, so the stay inside had to be as brief as possible to avoid dangerous encounters.

As it was often not possible to remove the entire animal, the hominids cut off the most appetizing parts of the victims and left the rest.

That is why many skeletons are missing their hind legs, which were the most prized pieces.

Thus there are remains of deer, bison, horses, rhinoceroses but also bears, lynxes, lions, wolves, etc.

There are also jaw and skull fragments of A man from Heidelberg and different lithic tools.

La Gran Dolina, remains of the first human vestiges

The third space visited is the Great Sink, just 50 meters from the Gallery.

La Great Sink was occupied at two different times by two different species: the homo predecessor 850.000 years ago and preneanderthals 350.00 years ago

Here 170 remains have been found belonging to 11 individuals from homo predecessor.

This cavity must have been opened about 900.000 years ago, and the first human vestiges correspond to that period. There are few tools but many animal fossils.

At the time of their discovery, these human remains about 900.000 years old They were the oldest found in Europe.

Their characteristics led to the consideration that they belonged to a species unknown until then, the homo predecessor.

A thorough study led to the conclusion that they practiced cannibalism, the oldest known case in all of Prehistory.

In higher strata, more recent remains were found, between 450.000 and 250.000 years old, with numerous stone tools.

Here it has been documented oldest case of communal hunting.

Atapuerca site visit schedules

The Visit schedules for the Atapuerca sites They are from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 14 p.m. on Sundays.

To access the deposits it is necessary to carry out a reserve by phone 947 421 000 or via email reservatasatapuerca@fundacionatapuerca.es

What is the duration of the Atapuerca visit?

The visit has a duration of about an hour and a half, and the tour schedules vary greatly depending on the day of the week and the month of the year.

Atapuerca ticket prices

El price of admission Generally it is €8 for the deposits and €7 for the CAREX.

Depending on the case, reduced or free prices can be obtained.

Map: where the Atapuerca site is and how to get there

The Atapuerca deposits are located 16 kilometers from the city of Burgos.

El SEDGE is near the town of Atapuerca and the CAYAC of the of Ibeas de Juarros. When making the reservation they will tell us which center it starts from.