Roca dels Moros

It contains a collection of 45 cave paintings, some of which depict special scenes. The scene of a dance in which there are ten women dancing around a nude man stands out for its originality. For centuries, the place was used as a sanctuary of worship, which is why we can find overlapping images and repainted figures.

The cave paintings of the rock or cave of Los Moros (the Moors) is scarcely a kilometre from the village of Cogul, going towards Albagés, on the left bank of the Set River, a tributary of the Segre River.

It is the northernmost of the sites in this group, and one of the most famous as it was the first to be discovered and, above all, for the originality of its dance scene. The discovery was made in 1908 by the local parish priest Ramon Huguet.

The Moros Cave is shelter in the rocks containing 45 painted figures, some of which represent special scenes. The predominant colours are red and black. Some figures are both etched and painted, and ten are etched only.

The figures are of bulls, goats, deer and some hunters with bows. But the most original part is a dance scene, showing ten women surrounding a fourteen centimetre high figure of a naked man, ithyphallic. The women measure between 25 and 30 centimetres and wear long flared skirts, while the top part of the body is nude.

There are also some disperse figures of deer and hunters, very schematic, which must correspond to a later period. The use of this place as a shrine, used for worship during centuries, seems unquestionable, explaining the superimpositions and repainted figures.

The duration of the sacred place into the historic period would explain why there are also Iberian and even Roman inscriptions, of which one refers to a vow: Secundio votum fecit (Secundio took a vow).

The viewing of the paintings is affected by daylight conditions.

If you want to visit the archaeological site outside the regular schedule, you must arranged the visit at +34 672 445 990 or reservescogul.acdpc@gencat.cat.