For the better part of the last 3 decades excavations have been underway to learn more about our prehistory. In the caves outside of town, the remains of early humans have been discovered; some as old as 800,000 years. Most of the discoveries have been transferred to the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos.
Atapuerca, its prolific prehistoric discoveries aside, remains a small outpost. It was here where King Garcia of Nájera-Pamplona lost his life in a battle against his brother Ferdinand I of León on September 1st, 1054. The large stone marker in the field before town that marks his end; the locals refer to it as ‘el fin de rey’, or ‘the end of the king’.
From Atapuerca, the camino climbs upward into the Atapuerca mountains before descending again into Cardeñuela.
