Risco Chapín-Cueva de los Candiles

The spectacular cliffs formed at the foot of the Artenara mountain, in the municipality of Tejeda, make up the site in which an exceptional group of caves exhibiting rupestrian art was excavated, showing a clear alignment with Roque Bentayga and having a definite symbolic and ceremonial nature. The largest number of known engravings of pubic triangles, along with a profusion of pots and bas-reliefs, are located in this small area. This entire troglodyte complex is of a ritual and ceremonial nature, making it one of the main mountain sanctuaries of the ancient Canarians and enabling us to sense the religious imaginary of the ancient Canarian population, centred, at least in part, on cults and rituals related to fertility.

The name `Cueva de los Candiles´ is due to the presence of torches of resinous pinewood inside the cave. This artificial cave has a rectangular floor plan. The inside walls are covered with engraved figures, mainly pubic triangles. There are 345 of these engravings lining the walls, making it one of the main archaeological sites in the world which houses the largest number of representations of this ideogram. Apart from these mountain areas, there are very few sites on the island where the presence of these types of pubic engravings referring to fecundity and fertility can be found.

In addition to the representations of pubic triangles, there are other associated engravings, in particular, numerous domes of different sizes. The walls and ceiling of the cave are darkened by smoke, which indicates the use of torches of resinous pinewood.