The last reviews date already from some years ago, so I thought: ‘why not add a new impression?’, because I was very lucky to have a different way to enjoy the excavation sites just a month ago. In a descriptive way, I don’t think that there is much to add to the earlier reviews, but it is probably good to emphasize that work continues each summer and important findings still occur almost every year, underlining or probably even strengthening the OUV of the site. See for example a press release from this summer: https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/07/new-remains-of-850000-years-old-homo-antecessor-at-atapuerca/. 

On this early October Thursday, the season had ended and the troupes of archaeologists had gone. The one bus with visitors for that day was expected in the afternoon. Our party of four visited in the morning and we were guided through the site by a friend of mine who works there. We were very fortunate to get a tour in our own language (Dutch), that had plenty of time for anecdotes and Q&A’s, and brought us behind fences where tourists usually don’t go. It was a very enjoyable morning, for us as well as for my friend, even if his first remark was jokingly: ‘I know you’re only here to tick off the UNESCO list.’ 

The photo shows a layer with bone and tool fragments that hold prove of human cannibalism. True, if you want to see the bigger findings, you need to visit the museums where the skulls and tools etc. end up on display. Or experience the archaeology theme park. But we were satisfied enough by the stories, that we didn’t bother going there anymore. I learned that the site is so important that it makes the Queen of Spain a regular visitor. The archaeologists themselves believe that there must be much more to find in the wider area, but since it is all military terrain, they don’t have permission to expand. Still, enough work is to be done at Atapuerca itself.