Parque Arqueológico de Belmaco
Benahoarita archaeological site in Villa de Mazo, La Palma, with ten natural caves and rock engravings. The first petroglyphs documented in the Canaries were recorded here in the 18th century.
The Belmaco Archaeological Park lies in Villa de Mazo, on the eastern side of La Palma, and protects a group of ten natural caves alongside an area of Benahoarita rock engravings. Its significance reaches beyond the island: it was here, in the 18th century, that the first petroglyphs known in the Canaries were documented, a find that opened up the study of rock art across the archipelago. The site is listed as a Historic Artistic Monument.
A visit is built around an interpretation centre whose panels place the site within the context of Benahoarita society, and continues with a walking route through the site itself to the caves and the engraved panels. Visitors are asked not to use flash when photographing, in order to protect the engravings. The park has parking and a shop selling traditional island crafts. Together with La Zarza, Belmaco is one of the reference aboriginal sites on La Palma, so the two combine well into a single day given over to the pre Hispanic past.
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