La Covaciella was discovered by chance in 1994. It has paintings of bison, horses, deer and more dating from the Magdalenian culture, over 14,000 years ago. The representations in the cave are valued for both their quality and arrangement, besides being very well conserved.
These paintings are exceptionally preserved, thanks in large part to the fact that the cave was sealed for thousands of years.
La Covaciella Cave is located in Las Estazadas Gorge and has a gallery of about 40 metres in length which opens onto a large chamber, divided into two by blocks that caved in before its discovery. The west side of the chamber is 11 x 13 metres and the east, 25 x 15 metres. The cave runs upwards from east to west for 80 metres in all. Its original entrance is a small hole to the northeast of the large chamber. From the time this was blocked off naturally until it was opened as a result of works, it had been left undisturbed by human beings.
The cave cannot be visited, but in Carreña de Cabrales there is an interpretation display on Covaciella Cave in "La Casa Barcena".
