Exploring the Art and Habitat of Early Man
Ana Pinto - Discoverer of the Sopena
Ana Pinto is a cave dweller at heart. She spends
her days and nights exploring the depths of our
world searching for answers to questions that have
never been answered. Her devotion to the study
of early man has taken her across the world.
Ana’s most exciting discovery is that of the cave
at Sopena, Spain. Sopena, which means “under
the rock” in Spanish, is rich with 16 layers of
sediment filled with artifacts and evidence of
some of the earliest humans in Europe! “Sopena,
says Ana, is like a book that has all its pages.”
Ana is also in charge of the excavations of
Altamira Cave, also in Spain! This cave is
famous for its vibrant yellow ochre, red and
black paintings that depict a variety of wild
animals such as horses, fawns, and wild boar!
Early men used art to tell the story of something
very important to them-- perhaps a hunt or a
special ceremony. The art and artifacts in these
caves now tell us a little of the story of those
early men and the way they might have lived.
Pinto has also made remarkable discoveries by
exploring the fossils of ancient cave bears. Prior
to her research, it was believed that these bears
were herbivorous. Ana discovered, through examining their bones, that their diets did, in fact, include meat.
Her evidence has led scientists to new conclusions about their extinction.
Art of Exploration Student Explorer Program
Discovering Early Man, his Habitat, his Tools and his ART!
Student “Imagination Explorers” will meet Ana Pinto, who will share her work in the caves through a
slide presentation and her own special stories. They will create their own “Cave Art” with a team of
professional artists; observe a toolmaker working in stone; learn about geology and its importance in
helping scientists discover the mysteries behind modern man; create clay pots and musical instruments, and
learn how to make adobe bricks.
Location: Fort Worth Community Arts Center
Dates: TBA (February or March)
Grades: 3rd through High School
TEKS: SCIENCE—conducting field investigations, analyze hypotheses and theories, use a variety of tools
to conduct scientific inquiry, draw conclusions about “what happened before” using fossils or charts, adaptations for
survival, describe and predict the impact of different catastrophic events on the Earth SOCIAL STUDIES—use
geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data, describe ways people have adapted to their environment,
understand the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were created, identify different points of
view about an issue or topic FINE ARTS-- compare artworks from different cultures, express ideas through original
artworks, compare the ways ideas and emotions are depicted in art, dance, and music, explore photographic imagery, understand art history and culture as records of human achievement.