8 Aug, 2024 @ 14:55
1 min read

Tourist in Spain’s Andalucia douses 6,000-year-old cave art with water so it appears brighter in his photos

A TOURIST is being investigated for pouring water on ancient cave drawings so that they appear brighter in photos.

The 39-year-old could face fines running into the thousands after damaging the 6,000-year-old works in the protected Sierra Sur de Jaen cave networks.

The Spaniard, from Los Villares, also in Jaen, is believed to have poured water on multiple paintings in a bid to enhance their colour.

Damaged: Ancient cave art in Jaen (OLIVE PRESS/GUARDIA CIVIL)

He was rumbled by the Guardia Civil after uploading photos to Facebook that clearly showed the limestone had been made wet.

But when water is applied to the rock, its salt contents begin to dissolve, forming a white crust that hides the drawings and causes irreparable damage to their pigment.

All the paintings targeted by the individual are declared as Assets of Cultural Interest, meaning they are protected by law.

The incident has led to local outcry over the lack of protection provided to the ancient sites by the local government.

The local mayor said the areas are difficult to manage and that the town hall lacks the necessary funds to properly protect the caves.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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