The Cultural Landscape and its surroundings contain one of the most singular, extensive and well-preserved complexes of troglodyte manifestations among island cultures worldwide.

The pre-Hispanic cultures of the Canary Islands are characterised, among many other aspects, by an exceptional tradition in the use of caves or ‘troglodytism’ regarding many of life’s functions, from life itself to eternal rest.

The artificial cave, in particular, clearly differentiates Gran Canaria troglodytes from the habitat in caves in the rest of the Canary Islands. Gran Canaria is the only island where settlements are built in artificial caves, some of amazing size and complexity.

The Cultural Landscape of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria offers some of the best examples of these works of true engineering on the island. Its first inhabitants were capable of drilling into entire mountains, without the use of metals, and creating homes, storage places or sanctuaries.