When English-speaking writers refer to the passage of the foetus down the birth canal, they use the word ‘travel’, and this is what the title of this book refers to: an especially difficult journey in our species, which culminates with the arrival of a new person in the world. This astonishing journey allows us to surmount many of the difficulties of the human species because the strange way in which we are born is not an anecdote but rather is intimately linked to our nature.

Why is birth painful? How did our ancestors give birth? Why are new-born babies so defenceless? Like a guide to a great exhibition, Juan Luis Arsuaga accompanies us in El primer viaje de nuestra vida through the fascinating human evolution adventure by way of a history of birth, and gives us a brilliant anatomy lesson along the way. And while he provides answers to these and other questions, he also asks others that are still unknown. There is still much to learn about the most important journey of our lives.