Of several World Heritage–listed cave-painting sites in the area, this Stone Age ceremonial site on a hillside near Vélez Blanco is the star. The reddish drawings, made some time before 5500 BC, show, among other things, animals, a large horned figure dubbed El Hechicero (The Witchdoctor), a set of interconnected triangles that may be a kind of family tree, and Almería's favourite symbol the indalo , a stick person whose outspread arms are connected by an arc (possibly a bow).
Today the indalo is seen all over Almería, on walls and pendants, and as the province's official symbol. Some believe it's a lucky charm that wards off evil, and there’s enough evidence of its use in earlier centuries (and millennia) for ethnologists to surmise it may be one of the longest continually used symbols in human culture.
The Cueva de los Letreros is 1km off the A317, opposite the entrance to Pinar del Rey camping complex, less than 1km down from Vélez Blanco towards Vélez Rubio. It's securely fenced, so you need to join one of the guided visits to get a close look. These go from the Pinar del Rey entrance: be there 10 minutes before the starting time.
