Top 4 Caves around Sant Antoni De Vilamajor

A modest peak in Pla de la Calma, used by shepherds as a natural lookout point: from there they could see when the fogs descended from Matagalls, and the whistling of the wind in its small hollow signaled impending bad weather. The slate of the hill bears marks of use by old charcoal burners and muleteers, indicating that it was more of a practical crossing point than a refuge. A simple place, yet rich in historical significance.

More than just a place where people lived, this site stands out because it doesn't quite fit the classic settlement pattern of the area. Its location, nestled between rock and forest, suggests it wasn't a permanent settlement, but rather a site used at very specific times: seasonal migrations, hunting trips, or gatherings of small groups. A unique feature is that the remains of highly fragmented occupations have been documented at this location, suggesting it was a "ritual passage" rather than a long-term encampment. Some scholars even propose that its irregular layout among the rocks could indicate symbolic activities or territorial markers, something uncommon in other sites in the area.

Hidden among the forests of Figaró, the Socau Mine was a small magnetite mine in the late 19th century. Today, half-covered by vegetation, it retains its entrance tunnel and some of the rusted mine carts. Some hikers say that as they approach, the air feels colder, as if the earth still breathes from within. Some leave candles or stones at the entrance, following an old local custom of asking for protection before entering places where the mountain "speaks."

This cave, inhabited in prehistoric times, contains remains that demonstrate its use in the Neolithic or Bronze Age, such as stone tools, pottery fragments, and evidence of fire. Its strategic location, hidden but with good visibility of the surroundings, made it ideal as a refuge or stopover. Today, for cyclists like us, it's an excellent shelter in case of rain or to enjoy breakfast in the shade, thanks to its peaceful and protected location.

The "Pedra de Les Orenetes" (Swallows' Stone) is made up of a large granite block about 8 m long, 3 m wide and 3 m high, which has been heavily eroded. The basal part shows several cavities, one of which is a medium-sized shelter, which is the main area of the paintings. From this concavity, through which the block can be crossed from below, other concavities and eroded points with pictographic representations continue to the right. These correspond to curved, serpentine strokes, points, female figures, cruciform figures, bars, finger marks, anthropomorphic forms, quadrupeds, branch-shaped figures and human representations, as well as remains of pigment that are difficult to interpret. the schematic-semi-schematic to the stylized and naturalistic), chromatic (reddish, reddish-brown, reddish-orange and yellowish-orange) and techniques (fingering, simple stroke and flat ink) as well as a diverse degree of erosion that seems to indicate a process with superimpositions and diverse phases, some of which seem to be related to those of the Cogul shelter.

Spectacular rocks found in this area near the Bosc de Rsucalleda, with curious shapes.

According to Anna Gómez, it is about "(...) iron ore or magnetite mines that were in operation between the years 1880 and 1895. To extract the mineral, a wagon road was built that went from Vallcàrquera to the 'ancient path ral del Congost, behind the Torre de Can Parera'. The mine has comfortable dimensions throughout its route (about two meters high by one and a half meters wide). The mouth is partially obstructed by a collapse of the margin where it is open, but it is still quite comfortably accessible. After 17 meters with about thirty centimeters of water, the gallery continues inland for another 14 meters. Now the floor is covered by a thread of water that flows from an underground course that appears almost at the end of the main gallery.

It is a mixed structure consisting of a burial chamber with a corridor excavated in the granite rock of the southern slope of the hill, with a vestibule or vestibule with megalithic access. The chamber has a semicircular floor plan (5m length x 3m width x 2m height) without a roof, given that it collapsed above the archaeological level. The corridor (2.25m length x 1.60m width x 1.40m height), with an elongated floor plan, connects the hall with the bedroom. The antechamber (1.75m width x 1m length), with a trapezoidal plan, is made up of three large slabs arranged and nailed to the subsoil (the slab-door was documented to have been displaced from its original place). The archaeological intervention documented three different stratigraphic levels: the surface level, made up of soil and scattered bone remains, a second level made up of the stone blocks that formed the original vault that covered the chamber and the corridor, and a third level where it was documented abundance of human bone remains (affected by the demolition) and much of the documented archaeological material. Specifically, between 195 and 205 buried individuals of both sexes were documented, mostly between 20 and 40 years old, although there were also children. Among these remains were documented 68 flint arrowheads, several fragments of bell-shaped pottery, two manual stone mills and various faunal remains, among others. The archaeological research concluded that an accidental event, probably a war conflict between groups, led to the death of a significant volume of the population. Chronologically, the site belongs to the Chalcolithic period (2200-1800 BC).