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Caves of Valeron
native name: Cenobio de Valerón ("Monastery of Valeron")
Location	Location in the Canary Islands
Website	Cenobio de valeron on arqueologiacanaria.com

Caves of Valeron
Native name Cenobio de Valerón ("Monastery of Valeron") (Spanish)
Caves of Valeron
Location	Santa María de Guía (Gran Canaria, Canary Island, Spain)
Nearest city	Gáldar
Area	Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria borough
Original use	Collective granary
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Official name	Caves of Valeron

Valerón’s monastery is an archaeological site located in the island of Grand Canary, in the municipality of Santa Maria de Guia, on Valerón's cliff. It is a collective granary built and used by the island’s inhabitants until the conquest of the island at the end of the 15th century. Close to Gáldar painted cave, it is one of the emblematic sites of Grand Canary.

Description

The collective granary known as "cenobio de Valerón" is a complex system of caves on several levels: 298 compartments between one and three square meters, distributed on 8 levels. They were excavated with stone and wood tools in the soft tuff - cemented volcanic tephra - in the mountain known nowadays as Mountain of the Galician (“ Montaña del Gallego ”). The easy defense of the site, the natural shelter offered by a natural arch in the mountain and the conditions of temperature and dampness were making it ideal for its use.

The caves or silos are of varied forms and sizes, communicating somewhat with each other, and they are grouped on several superposed levels. The steps excavated in the rock still exist and they mat have been complemented with stairs or scaffoldings and ropes, of which there are no archaeological remains.

The caves were shut with doors made of unknown material, which left traces. These are believed to have been made of wood, stone slabs or soft materials like textile or leather. Their holes, as well as other grooves, were sealed in addition by an ashen mortar. All this aimed at preserving the crops.

In the site are found idols, paintings, ceramics, human bones and ashes, which are believed to belong to those who were guarding the granary.

Origin of the name

The name of “ monastery ” comes from the roman belief that here lived some celibate priestesses called “ harimaguadas ”, with whom young women from noble class came to live until their marriage. The above mentioned vision prevailed up to the 20th century, when its real use was recognized as being obviously similar to other structures of the island and of north Africa. In addition, some of the chronicles mention the practice of preserving the food in crags of difficult access. The North African granaries or agadires often have a common storage area, guarded by the community to which it belongs, with chambers used and maintained by individuals.

Similar structures

Other similar structures on the island are :

• Cuevas del Rey y Roque Bentayga, in Tejeda
• Cuevas del Pósito, in Temisas, Agüimes
• Cuevas Muchas, in Guayadeque, Ingenio
• Cuevas de las Palomas, in Tabuco, Ingenio
• Cuevas del Draguillo, in El Gamonal, between Telde and Ingenio
• Cueva de la Audiencia, in the Cuatro Puertas complex, Telde
• El Álamo, in Acusa, Artenara
• Birbique, in Roque Bermejo, Agaete

Protection

Valerón's Monastery was declared Historical Artistic Monument in 1978, by royal decree 2.756/78 of October 14. Due to the current law, 16/85 of June 25 of Historical Spanish Heritage, it became a Property of cultural interest, in the category of Archaeological Zone. The site belongs to the Santa María de Guía’s town hall, being inscribed in the Municipal Inventory of Built Properties, and in the Land registry of Property of urban nature.

Nowadays the site is open to the public as archaeological park, included in the Network of archaeological parks of Grand Canary (Red de Parques arqueológicos de Gran Canaria), composed with the archaeological sets of Arteara's necropolis in Fataga, El Maipés de Agaete’s necropolis in Agaete, the Cañada de Los Gatos by Mogán’s beach in Tejeda, Roque Bentayga in Tejeda, Guayadeque's Cliff in Ingenio near Agüimes, the museum and archaeological Park of Cueva Pintada (Painted Cave) in Gáldar, and Cuatro Puertas (Four Doors) in Telde.

See also

• Museum and archaeological park of Cueva Pintada (Painted Cave)

External links

   Wikimedia Commons holds multimedia content on Valerón monastery

• Official website of Valerón monastery
• List of archaeological Heritage sites, Grand Canary

http://www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo/51981.0.html

http://www.salutilescanaries.com/musees-et-visites-dinteret/gran-canaria/cenobio-de-valeron/

http://www.grancanaria.com/patronato_turismo/17367.0.html

http://www.arqueologiacanaria.com/Arqueologia_Canaria/Cenobio_de_Valeron.html