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In its municipal area is the splendid Cueva del Niño with interesting Palaeolithic cave paintings inside: deer, goats, abstract elements; the only ones found to date in the Community of Albacete. On the exterior walls of the cave are preserved pictorial creations of the last hunter-gatherers, Levantine art (10,000 years before the present). This post-Palaeolithic art, based on figuration, is presented in this enclave by various human figures -the great iconographic contribution of this style- in this case male, red in color spatially linked in a unique assemblage. The authors of this art, the epipaleolithic human groups, are the same as those of the Cueva de la Vieja (Alpera), Barranco Segovia (Letur) or Solana de las Covachas and Bojadillas (Nerpio), to name the most relevant, demonstrating sharing , unequivocally, a unitary set of beliefs. The universal value of this cavern is confirmed by the fact that since 1998 it has been considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco and is, to date, the only enclave in the entire Mediterranean area of ​​the peninsula that combines Paleolithic Art and Levantine Art in the same station .

In closer times, there is evidence of battles during the Reconquest in the nearby and now disappeared Castillo de la Yedra.



In a parchment dated 1565 and signed by Felipe II of Spain, it obtains its title of independent Villa of Alcaraz, a city to which it was linked for centuries.



Ayna, is a small town nestled in the throat of the Mundo River, with one of the most suggestive landscapes of the entire province. All of this can be seen from the Mirador del Diablo.



Ayna is a town with a special aesthetic, just walk down the main street to realize the reality.

Its streets in general, are all narrow with a clear Moorish flavor from where we can see the Mundo River that bathes its feet like long windows.





Its narrow streets with wide steps, low rise, with curves and nooks that surprise those who, with a fixed and attentive gaze, enter them.



The facades of the houses are typically rural where they are practically all the same, white and with a stable or small garage to store your things.





Ayna includes a main street that changes its name as we walk. Through this street the Encierros are crossed every year until the descent to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.



From this main street, at the top, we can contemplate the House of Culture of new structure. Next to it we can drink water from a source that comes from the spring.

In this main street there are bars, grills, and shops where you can buy their typical products.



Ayna is popularly known as ´´La Suiza Manchega´´ for its large amount of vegetation, its picturesque beauty -it is located on the banks of the Mundo River, with imposing rocky cliffs in the surroundings of the town- and the usual presence of snow in winter. It also highlights the wild fauna, such as the mountain goat, which is not uncommon to see from the nearby viewpoints, or even on the outskirts of the town, when they go up to drink.

Heritage, monuments and places of interest [edit]



In itself, the entire village and its surroundings are a collection of enormous interest. Other specific places are:



Cueva del Niño.

Hermitage of Ntra. Sra. De los Remedios.

Church Sta. Maria de lo Alto.

Remains of the Castillo de la Yedra. Cave of the Moors.

Urban helmet.

Rincón de la Toba.

Bank of the Mundo river.



Folklore, customs and events [edit]



Its festivities begin on September 3 and end on the 8th of the same month. These festivals are in honor of their patron saint, the Virgin Mary of the High. Its confinements that run through the steep streets of the town are well known and spectacular.



Also noteworthy is the festival of ´´el bolo´´, in Santa Lucía, or in honor of the Cristo de las Cabrillas.

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