The Sierra de Atapuerca is a small mountain range north of Ibeas of Juarros, in the province of Burgos, which extends from northwest to southeast, between the mountain ranges of the Cantabrian Mountains and the Iberian.

It has been declared Natural Area of Interest, a Cultural and Heritage as a result of exceptional archaeological and paleontological inside houses, among which the fossil evidence of at least three different species of hominids: Homo antecessor, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo sapiens.

The caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca contain a rich fossil record of the earliest human beings in Europe, from nearly one million years ago and extending up to the Common Era. They represent an exceptional reserve of data, the scientific study of which provides priceless information about the appearance and the way of life of these remote human ancestors.