Altamira

American  

[al-tuh-meer-uh, ahl-tah-mee-rah] / ˌæl təˈmɪər ə, ˌɑl tɑˈmi rɑ /

noun

1. a cave in northern Spain, near Santander, noted for its Upper Paleolithic polychrome paintings of bison, deer, and pigs.

---

Altamira British  

/ altaˈmira /

noun

1. a cave in N Spain, SW of Santander, noted for Old Stone Age wall drawings

---

Example Sentences

Spectacular Ice Age cave art in places like Altamira and El Castillo encouraged the idea that symbolism and art switched on almost overnight in Ice Age Europe.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

Department of Energy it had begun evaluating a fresh LNG onshore project in the Gulf state of Tamaulipas, and is about to begin operating a floating LNG export terminal off the Tamaulipas port of Altamira.

From Reuters • Nov. 7, 2023

Karla Altamira, 40, said she had not heard from her brother, Carlos, 35, since just before the storm hit.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2023

My colleague Grant Smith did a pretty interesting analysis to simulate what would happen if a virus emerged in this town in the Amazon called Altamira.

From Slate • May 30, 2023

At Altamira and Lascaux, then, the main purpose may no longer have been to “kill” but to “make” animals: to increase their supply, perhaps through seasonal rituals repeated year after year.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson