ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEX OF THE DOLMENS OF ANTEQUERA

It was at 3:33 pm on July 15, 2016 that the good news fell in Antequera: the inclusion in the Unesco heritage of the site of the dolmens of Antequera, the first megalithic complex of continental Europe to receive this classification as a cultural site. This complex consists of three megalithic sculptures: the dolmens of Viera and Menga and the tholos of El Romeral and two natural monuments, the mountain formations of El Torcal and the Peña de los Enamorados. Apart from the value of a megalithic complex dating from 4,700 to 3,800 B.C., it is also the integration of this complex into the landscape that was chosen as giving "exceptional value" to the complex. Indeed, most of the megalithic constructions are oriented towards the sunrise or in relation to the lunar position. This is the case of the dolmen of Viera, but not of the other two dolmens, which are oriented to natural elements: respectively the Torcal for the tholos del Romeral and the Peña de los Enamorados for the dolmen of Menga.

The archaeological complex of the Antequera estates consists of two sites. The first is the Reception Center and the dolmens of Menga and Viera and in the second is the Tholos of El Romeral.

Dolmen of Menga. Dated to 4,700 years B.C., it is the largest dolmen, with an open gallery and an almost rectangular shape. The funerary chamber is composed of seven blocks, orthostats, and the roof of five slabs, the largest measuring 6x7 meters and weighing 180 tons. With as additional support, three central pillars. This is the one that faces the Peña de los Enamorados, Rock of the Lovers, a mountain with the profile of a sleeping man. And it is during the summer equinox, when the sun rises behind the Peña, that the interior of the dolmen is lit directly.

Dolmen of Viera. Dated to 4,000 years B.C., it is a 20-meter long corridor with two successive doors (pierced slabs) to delimit the entrance. It is the only dolmen that faces the sun, and its interior is lit directly during the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Tholos of El Romeral. Dated 3,800 years B.C., its walls are made of smaller stones than those of a classic dolmen, but its interior structure is very similar to that of Viera: a corridor leading to a burial chamber. All these structures are covered by an earthen mound.

The circuit. The set is divided into 2 spaces, distant of approximately 4 km. In the first one we will find the dolmens of Menga and Viera and in the second, the tholos of El Romeral. there are two possible entrances, each with its own parking lot where you can leave your car before starting the tour. The visit begins at the reception center, where we will see an audiovisual "Menga, the process of a construction" that explains the efforts required and the tools used to carry out this type of architecture. Then we go to the "observatorio del caminante", a large space open to the vega antequerana from which we can contemplate the Peña and the Cerro de Marimacho. Then the solar center Michael Hoskin makes understand the meaning of the orientation towards the sun of the megalithic monuments. Once you arrive at the place of the dolmens (campo de los tumulos), 9 signposted paths allow you to move around. Since March 2022, a museum of the dolmens has been added to this circuit.