Ribadesella was one of the world cradles of Paleolithic civilization, with generations and generations of men who grew and multiplied around the estuary of Sella. A perennial continuity of life that extended during 25.000 long years.
The Paleolithic potential in Ribadesella equals, at least, the three most important foci in the world. The complexes of La Garma and El Castillo in Cantabria, and Les Eyzies in France.
From 2008 the cave is HERITAGE OF HUMANITY.
What does the Tito Bustillo Cave contain?
The call Gallery of the Horses, in which the compositions engraved on the rock abound, gathers different figures of this animal along with those of some great bovid of the glacial times (uros or bison) and that of a reindeer. Because of the technical and stylistic similarity offered by these representations, they can be considered as contemporary.
On the other hand, it turns out that in the world scenario there is no known density of sexual motives like the ones that take shape in Tito Bustillo and the Macizo de Ardines.
The phallic representations found are the first sample of male sex within the known rock art. So he keeps it the prehistorian Rodrigo de Balbín, the man in charge of directing the archaeological prospections in the environment of Tito Bustillo. When the research team found the penile sketches designed by the Palaeolithic man in the stalagmites of the cave of the Lloseta, the professor of his extreme singularity already warned. Moreover, the male subject never sought his direct replica in the art of the time; if it did, it was transfigured and animalized. Finding sexual material concerning the male, and so explicitly, gives Ardines' latest findings a new dimension worldwide. Actually to date there is no record or documentation of a similar symbology, it may exist, but no one has found it, holds the professor of prehistory.
A central stalagmite rises one and a half meters high and is painted in its entirety with ferric oxide, which gives it a red color. The paint also contains several layers of pigment, creating a thickness that is not usual in Paleolithic pictorial samples. It is, clearly, an act of reinforcement of the sexual motive, red in itself adds to the rock painting a vitalizing value.
The cavern of the Lloseta It is located at the top of Tito Bustillo, at the height of the central gallery of horses. Both caves are communicated through an open hole in the karst framework. La Lloseta, on the other hand, is just a few 300 meters from the also singular Vulvas Dressing Room, a space where the prehistoric ones meant the fertility of women, and one of the few female sexual samples of rock art known to academics.
The latest findings allow researchers to connect the dots in a way that greatly multiplies theories about the cultural longevity of the Paleolithic Riosellano. And the fact is that the age of the new paintings, about 25.000 years, passing through the verification of the widely recognized intermediate path, 10.000 from the Magdalenian, up to 7.000 from the Azilian, show that, at least, Cro-Magnon man inhabited Ribadesella for a very long period of 18.000 years, without counting those that followed and that would confirm the entire 25.000 years that preceded the birth of Christ.
The discovery of the cave and all the research that has taken place in recent decades, as well as the main findings of this prehistoric enclave, can be learned in detail within the facilities of the Tito Bustillo Art Center. Center that can be visited all year round as it does not have restricted hours or limited capacity, as is the case with the natural cave.
Tito Bustillo Rock Art Center
The rock art center of Tito Bustillo is an ideal place to get to know first hand one of ... Read more
Tito Bustillo cave reservations
The processing of reservations for groups can be done through phones 902 306 600 or 985 185 860
Tickets can be purchased at the counter of the Art Center or Traves de la web www.centrotitobustillo.com
In both places you can also buy tickets to the Center and the Cuevona de Ardines as well as all the activities that take place in summer.
Open from March 5 to October 26, 2025.
Opening hours for the Tito Bustillo caves
Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:15 a.m. (first showing) to 17:00 p.m. (last showing).
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and on August 9 and 10, 2025.
How much does the entrance to the Tito Bustillo caves cost?
· General: 4,14 €.
· Reduced: 2,12 €.
· Groups from 20 people.
· From 7 to 11 years old.
· Over 65 years.
· Large families.
· International student card.
· Accredited youth card.
· Accredited people with disabilities.
· Individual workshops: € 2,50.
· School workshops: € 2.
Free: Teaching groups and official guides upon request.
· Visits are limited to a number of 15 people per pass (150 people per day).
· Tickets can be purchased online and in person at the reception of the Rock Art Centre. During peak periods, it is essential to purchase tickets online well in advance..
· Visits are exclusively guided in Castilian.
· Maximum punctuality essential. The client must go to the reception of the Tito Bustillo Rock Art Center, located 200 meters from the entrance to the Cave, at least 30 minutes before the reserved pass time, to identify their reservation. Otherwise you will lose your right of entry.
· The minimum age To access the Cave is 7 years.
· Visits by people with vision or mobility difficulties are not recommended.
· It is recommended to use warm clothing and appropriate footwear, as it is a muddy, wet and slippery terrain. The interior temperature in the Cave is around 13ºC.
· No refunds or exchange of tickets due to cancellation of the client or for not arriving at the Cave with adequate notice.
· No date changes or modifications to the entry typology are also accepted.
· Taking photos or filming inside the Tito Bustillo cave is not permitted, nor is it permitted to bring in food or drinks.
· Smoking is not permitted.
· It is recommended Do not go with objects, backpacks, etc., since there are no lockers.
· Pets are not allowed.
Online reservations Tito Bustillo cave
It has all the information about the purchase of tickets, schedules, rates and conditions in the link that we provide.
Buy your online ticket for the Tito Bustillo Cave
For organized groups of 20 or more people, it is necessary to make a reservation by calling 902 306 600 / 985 185 860 or reservas@turismoycultura.asturias.es
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
