For magic... the one that gives us the caboco and the pre-Hispanic engravings of the Archaeological Park of La Zarza and La Zarcita.

The important role that Garafía represents for the pre-Hispanic era of the palm tree is basically centered on the abundance of geometric rock engraving stations that exist in its territory. The great quantity of ravines and ravines that furrow their places, the abundance of natural caves that open in their margins, the enormous superficial extension that covers, the great abundance of forage resources and sources with which it counts, as well as the extraordinary wealth of pre-Hispanic sites that appear in its summits, suggest us the hypothesis that Tagalguén (pre-Hispanic name of Garafía) could have been one of the most populated cantons of the whole island, possibly with more than 1000 Benahoaritas or Awaritas at the end of the XV century. The stations of rock engravings that Garafía has represent more than 70% of the archaeological sites of this type that are known in La Palma.

In the municipality of Villa de Garafía there are important rock engraving stations located throughout its geography, both on the coasts and in the highlands. Of special interest are the rupestrian manifestations located on the walls of the Barranco de La Zarza ravine, in the place known as "Caboco" of La Zarza and in its tributary, the Barranquillo de La Zarcita ravine.

La Zarza is considered to be one of the best rock art sites on La Palma, both for the size of the engraved surface and for the complexity and development of the motifs. For all these reasons, a resolution was presented on October 25, 1991, by the General Directorate of Culture, by which a file was opened to delimit the archaeological zone, an Asset of Cultural Interest, and Decree No. 21 of April 4, 1995. Shortly thereafter, the Archaeological Park was built with a Site Museum.

The first written reference dates from 1941. In the 1970s, archaeologists Luis Diego Cuscoy, Antonio Beltrán and Mauro Hernández carried out studies of scientific interest. At the end of the 1990s, Ernesto Martín directed an excavation in two areas of the caves at the base of the caboco, discovering abundant ceramic remains of phase IV, lithic tools, two fragments corresponding to a wooden vessel and human remains of a maxilla and fragments of the frontal and right parietal of a single young individual.

La Zarcita is located 500 m to the northwest of the previous one, practically at the same level. There are two distinct stations, located on both sides of the Barranco de La Zarcita, which we have differentiated as Zarcita I and Zarcita II.

Zarcita I (right margin) contains two panels formed by a spiral and a spiral with meanders oriented to the sunsets of the summer and winter solstices respectively.

Zarcita II (left margin) is dominated by meandering motifs and a few spirals. In total there are 20 panels, of which 15 are oriented to the sunrise of the summer solstice and 5 to the sunrise of the winter solstice.

A little further down, on the left bank of the Barranco de La Zarza there are two other stations known as the Llano de La Zarza with a meandriform oriented to the dawn of the winter solstice and the Fuente de Los Palomos which contains two panels.

"Those who try to interpret symbols in themselves look at the source of light and say: "I see nothing". But the light source is there not to be looked at, but to be looked at and see what it illuminates. And so it is with symbolism" (Dan Sperber).

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