In the municipality of La Canonja, in Tarragonès, Europe's most remote past takes shape in a new facility that looks towards the future. The Mammuthus SpaceThe interpretation center dedicated to the Barranco de la Boella archaeological site, which opened last summer, features a museum-style approach that combines immersive technology, original artifacts, and experiences designed to bring prehistory closer to the general public. Located in the Mas del Hort del Abeurador, in a natural setting at the entrance to the municipality, the new facility occupies approximately 1,000 square meters and has a clear ambition: to preserve, study, and disseminate information about one of the most important sites for understanding the origins of human presence in Europe. A key site for understanding the first Europeans

The Barranco de la Boella ravine has been known since the late 19th century, but systematic excavations have been carried out since 2007 by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-BÚSQUEDA). The research has revealed a collection of fossil remains and tools dating back more than a million years, a period that is poorly documented in Europe. The scientific work is directed by researchers Palmira Saladié and Josep Vallverdú, who have led the excavations and study of the site for almost two decades. The findings have contributed to rethinking the paradigm of human dispersal in Europe, demonstrating that the first populations arrived much earlier than previously thought. Among the recovered materials are remains of up to 29 animal species, including mammoth tusks, hippopotamus bones, and stone tools associated with the first hominins who inhabited this area of ​​the Camp de Tarragona region.

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