Abrigo de las Colmenas

Abrigo de las Colmenas is a small rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, set on the southern slope of the Maimón Chico hill less than two kilometers from the town center of Vélez-Blanco, in the province of Almería. The site sits within the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula."

What will you see at Abrigo de las Colmenas?

The name "Colmenas" (beehives) actually refers to three small rock cavities close together, though paintings survive only in the largest of them. Its wall carries two groups of figures — a right-hand panel and a central panel — totaling ten motifs painted in the schematic style typical of the region. This style favors simplified, geometric forms: strokes, dots, and highly reduced human shapes, usually rendered in red pigment.

The most recognizable figure on the panel is a human shape with arms bent into loop-like handles, a form classified among the so-called "indalos" — a motif also found at other sites across the Los Vélez district and now widely recognized as an unofficial symbol of Almería province as a whole. It is this figure that draws visitors interested in prehistory and early art, despite the shelter's modest size.

How do you get to Abrigo de las Colmenas?

Access is on foot from Vélez-Blanco, along a marked trail that runs through the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park. Many visitors combine this walk with a visit to the much larger and better-known rock art site at Abrigo de los Letreros nearby, turning it into a single outing covering two of the region's key prehistoric sites. The terrain is rocky and uneven in places, so sturdy walking shoes are worth packing, and in the warmer months you should bring water and sun protection, since most of the route runs through open, largely unshaded ground.

When is the best time to visit?

The Los Vélez area has a continental mountain climate, with cold winters and hot summers. Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) are the best seasons for the walk to the shelter, offering mild temperatures and good visibility on the trail. In summer, midday heat can be demanding on the exposed stretches, so early morning or early evening hours are recommended.

The story behind its discovery

The paintings at Abrigo de las Colmenas were discovered in the second decade of the 20th century during fieldwork carried out by Abbé Henri Breuil, the French prehistorian known for his work on cave and rock art, together with Francisco de Motos, a local pharmacist from Vélez-Blanco. Their surveys across the Comarca de los Vélez identified dozens of schematic rock art sites, of which Colmenas is one of the smaller but well-preserved examples. This body of research later contributed to the inclusion of the region in UNESCO's World Heritage listing for Mediterranean Basin rock art on the Iberian Peninsula.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entrance fee for Abrigo de las Colmenas? The shelter sits in an open natural area reached via a walking trail; it isn't a ticketed site like a museum, but it's worth checking current access conditions at the Vélez-Blanco tourist information office beforehand, since rock art sites in the area are sometimes subject to temporary protective restrictions.

Can you visit the paintings without a guide? The trail is marked and can be walked independently, but given how small and fragile the paintings are, it's worth using locally available information materials to correctly locate and interpret the panels.

How much time should you set aside? Reaching the shelter and viewing the paintings typically takes around an hour one way, but most visitors extend the trip by continuing on to Abrigo de los Letreros, turning it into a half-day excursion.

What are the "indalos" seen in the paintings? They are symbolic, schematic depictions of a human figure with arms curved into an arch shape, a motif characteristic of the rock art found across the Los Vélez region — one that later became an informal emblem of Almería province.