Eloise Horsfield
By Eloise Horsfield
WANT to get an idea what life was like in Andalucia 5,000 years ago?
At the Algaba education centre just outside Ronda, you have the perfect opportunity.
Through its hauntingly realistic prehistoric village you learn about how our forefathers created fire, ground their bread, as well as decorated their homes.
You can even find out what they did with their dead.
“What we offer is a cultural and educational experience enabling visitors to learn more about the ecosystem of Mediterranean land and how it has been used historically,” explains director Maria Sanchez Helena.
“Because this land has been occupied from prehistoric times up to the present day.”
Algaba’s work also includes research and teachings on the geology and ornithology of the area, as well as acting as a rare breeds centre for endangered cows.
These include the Spanish Pajuna – of which there are just 500 left – as well as the Andalucian Cardena, which in the early 1990s had been reduced to just seven individuals.
Thanks to the work of organisations like Algaba, there are now around 200 Cardenas.
Guests and groups can also come and stay at the centre’s restored 250-year-old finca.
“It is certainly a place where people can come and get away from it all.”
