Collections

The Museum of Altamira is responsible for studying, preserving and documenting its holdings. The museum collection is comprised of artefacts assigned to it by the state and pieces on long-term loan from other institutions or individuals.

The permanent collection consists of objects from the Cave of Altamira itself and archaeological sites like the nearby Cave of Las Estalactitas or the open-air sites in the vicinity of Altamira. Finds from other caves in Cantabria — El Castillo, Las Monedas, Morín, Rascaño, Salitre, Chufín, El Juyo, La Pila, etc. — and open-air sites such as the Cuchía quarries, also form part of this permanent collection.

In addition, the Museum of Altamira houses a number of objects and collections on loan from other state museums, including the National Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of the Americas and the National Archaeological Museum. Other works are on long-term loan from institutions like the Prehistory and Archaeology Museum of Cantabria (MUPAC), the Santander Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAS), the Valencia Prehistory Museum and Isturitz Cave in France.