Last Ape Standing Dispatch #9: Spain

This post was originally published on November 15, 2019 on a previous version of ChipWalter.com.

These are pictures from two of the cave complexes I visited in Northern Spain, a beautiful area near the Bay of Biscayne. The first picture is of El Castillo. Inside this rise of rock lie several cave complexes that wind themselves deep inside. It was in here that I saw some of the most amazing cave art ever painted. The caverns are intricate and filled with mystery. The second picture is of one cave entrance. It’s being excavated. To give you a feel for the scale, look up to the right of the picture about 3/4 of the way. Those are people standing there!

Once inside the entrance we almost immediately descended a good 5 to 10 stories, then just kept going deeper. The third image is from another cave complex — Tito Bustillo. My amateur photography doesn’t do it justice, but look at this beautiful horse, painted here with ochre and charcoal perhaps 20,000 or more years ago by a very talented artist. Imagine how much others in the tribe must have admired the men and women who could conjure such magical images? The last photo gives you a feel for the scale of the cave at Tito Bustillo which ran a good mile into the mountain. That’s the scientist who was escorting me through this remarkable place. It was just me and him, and these ancient symbols and works of art.

This creative ability is one reason we are the Last Ape Standing on Earth.