Cave Paintings Of Fraga Do Gato

The Fraga do Gato rock paintings are located in the parish of Poiares, in the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, and are considered to be open-air Upper Paleolithic rock paintings. This pre- and protohistoric painting is located on the slope of Alpajares, facing east, and at the beginning of the rocky spur where the Atalaia de Alpajares is located, over the confluence of the Ribeira da Brita and the Ribeira do Mosteiro. In this site of great scenic beauty, in a sub-rock shelter we find a large vertical and rectangular panel in quartz schist, which shows some paintings in red and black, quite degraded by many recent scratches. The motifs on this panel are a few lines and three zoomorphic motifs, two of which are interpreted as being an otter and a owl. For this reason, this rock is also known as Fraga da Lontra. The otter is depicted in profile and outlined in a continuous line using red ochre, with no fill. The snitch is painted in black and is partly superimposed on the back of the otter. The third zoomorph, often interpreted as a fish, is located inside the otter and is drawn in profile, facing to the left. There are also other black strokes, albeit quite diluted, on the left-hand side of the panel, in front of and above the figure interpreted as an otter. Two ochre stains are also visible.