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White cave façades, blue doors and artists' workshops at the Cuevas del Rodeo
Reviewed August 2026
Rojales caves

The Cuevas del Rodeo: Rojales beneath the surface

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On the southern edge of Rojales, whitewashed fronts and blue doors open directly into an ochre hillside. These are the Cuevas del Rodeo, a neighbourhood of homes excavated into the rock which now supports workshops, exhibitions and an ecomuseum.

The caves are not freestanding cottages made to resemble underground homes. Their rooms extend into the slope, while small terraces in front create a transition between domestic space, garden and street.

Why the caves were made

Rojales Town Council dates the settlement from the eighteenth century. Murcian miners who came to the area for agricultural work used their stone-cutting skills to excavate homes in the hillside. The form offered an alternative to vulnerable houses made from reeds and mud.

Successive generations occupied the cave quarter into the early twentieth century. Excavated earth was used to build up a platform in front of each home, where a small garden or productive plot could support family life.

How a cave home works

Builders began at a near-vertical face in the slope, then cut rooms back into the ground. The result is irregular because each dwelling responds to the rock, the gradient and the needs of its occupants.

Limewashed entrances reflect the sun, but the interiors depend on the mass of the surrounding earth. Doors, openings and forecourts provide light and ventilation near the front. The deeper rooms remain closely tied to the stable conditions of the hillside.

From homes to workshops

Restoration gave the Rodeo quarter a new public role. Fifteen municipal caves form part of the Ecomuseo del Hábitat Subterráneo, with craft workshops and exhibition rooms occupying former domestic spaces.

This continued use is important. Pottery, painting and other crafts are not an added theme laid over an abandoned site. They give visitors a reason to move through the quarter and see how enclosed rooms, thresholds and terraces work at a human scale.

Visiting the Cuevas del Rodeo

  • Wear shoes suited to uneven paths, steps and sloping ground.
  • Allow time for the outdoor terraces as well as any workshops which are open.
  • Remember that opening arrangements for individual caves and organised activities can vary.
  • Check the council's current visitor information before making a special journey.

The elevated paths also give views across Rojales and the flat Vega Baja. A visit pairs naturally with a walk beside the River Segura hydraulic ensemble.

Sources and review

This guide was reviewed in August 2026 using the Rojales Town Council visitor page, the council's guide to the cave quarter and the Comunitat Valenciana tourism service.