Dolmen of Guadalperal

The Dolmen of Guadalperal is a prehistoric stone circle found in a corner of the Valdecañas reservoir in the Cáceres province of western Spain. Also called the Spanish Stonehenge, the site was originally discovered in 1926 by German archeologist Hugo Obermaier, who determined the structure was built about 2000 to 3000 Before the Common Era (BCE). Some archeologists believe the site was even older than that, estimating its construction around 5000 BCE. The Dolmen of Guadalperal consists of approximately 150 stones. The structure and surrounding area were flooded during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in the 1960s. Franco ordered the area to be flooded as part of a rural development project. Since that time, the stones have only been fully visible a handful of times. The latest sighting came in 2022 as a result of a record drought in the country.

Background

Dolmens are found throughout Europe, as well as in parts of Africa and Asia. Dolmen is the umbrella term used for stone monuments, or megaliths, with two upright stones that support a horizontal stone slab. Dolmen are found throughout the world. Construction of these sites can vary significantly, depending on what part of the world the structure is located. Very little is known about the people who constructed the ancient dolmen; there is a thought that the structures served mainly as tombs due to human remains found in and around the sites. However, some historians claim the sites could have been used as solar temples or as backdrops in ancient, long-forgotten ceremonies celebrating the summer solstice or similar events. Some archaeologists believe the area around the Dolmen of Guadalperal may have been a trading post or a place of business. That theory is based on the stone’s location near a point on the Tagus River at which it was viable to cross.

Most archaeologists believe the Dolmen of Guadalperal was erected about four to seven thousand years ago by Neolithic Iberians. It is believed the stones marked a burial site. Of the standing stones, a number of them reach more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and feature a number of carvings and etchings. The Dolmen of Guadalperal was completely visible for the first time in decades beginning in 2019, as the waters of the Valdecañas reservoir dropped to just 27 to 28 percent of its capacity due to Europe’s worst drought in five hundred years. When submerged, only the tops of some of the stones were visible. As the stones were revealed, people began to remove and tamper critical artifacts, and the Ministry of Culture in Spain took action. They enacted a Declaration of the Guadalperal Dolmen as a Site of Cultural Interest to protect the Dolmen of Guadalperal from looters and those with ill intent. Archeologists removed many stones and preserved them for safekeeping for generations yet to come. A number of the permeable granite stones were cracked or fallen after decades of submersion underwater. Throughout the early 2020s, when the stones were visible and drought conditions allowed water levels in the Valdecañas reservoir to drop once again, many artifacts were removed from the site.

Overview

The Dolmen of Guadalperal, also called “The Treasure,” is found in Peraleda de la Mata in eastern Estremadura, Spain. It is composed of about 150 granite stones incorporated together to form an oval-shaped space with a diameter that measures about 16.4-feet (5 meters) across. A standing stone called a menhir sits at what is believed to be the entrance. This standing stone contains many ancient carved designs that still stand out. Many of them are cup-like, and others resemble snakes. Archeologists believe that one “snake,” a squiggly line on the menhir, is a depiction of the Tagus River. The menhir also features a depiction of a human being on the other side. However, any real meaning there might have been behind the engravings have ultimately been lost to time.

The site of the Dolmen of Guadalperal is located in an area that was purposely flooded by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1963. Franco ordered the flooding as part of a civil engineering project designed to bring economic opportunities to the area. The inundation of the area created the Valdecañas reservoir and submerged not only the stones but nearby villages that were home to numerous Spanish citizens. From the mid-1960s until 2019, only the tips of some of the larger menhirs were visible above the water line. A drought that began in 2019 and negatively impacted Spain and other parts of Europe slowly reduced the waters of the Valdecañas reservoir and allowed full visibility of the Dolmen of Guadalperal for the first time in decades. The drought was the worst in Europe in more than five hundred years. When the waters were receded during the early 2020s, archeologist were able to remove and study many artifacts.

With reservoir levels at historic lows, archeologists and local conservationists advocated for relocating the dolmen to a safer site to preserve the history and the historic value of the stones. The dolmen had experienced natural weathering over the millennia they were exposed to the air. However, the water damaged incurred by decades below the reservoir’s surface caused even more damage. When the site was semi-accessible, tourists made their way to the dolmen. The visitors interacted with, and possibly damaged, the ancient stones. The Spanish Ministry of Culture made the decision to allow for the removal of the stones.

Bibliography

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“The Council of Ministers Approves the Declaration of the Guadalperal Dolmen as a Site of Cultural Interest.” Ministerio de Cultura, 5 Oct. 2022, www.cultura.gob.es/actualidad/2022/05/220510-guadalperal-bic.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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Olaya, Vincente. “Valdecañas: The Drought-hit Reservoir that revealed a Giant Archaeological Treasure in Spain.” EL PAÍS English, 15 May 2024, english.elpais.com/culture/2024-05-15/valdecanas-the-drought-hit-reservoir-that-revealed-a-giant-archaeological-treasure-in-spain.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Solly, Meilan. “Drought Reveals Dolmen of Guadalperal, Popularly Dubbed 'Spanish Stonehenge.'” Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Sept. 2019, smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/drought-reveals-dolmen-guadalperal-popularly-dubbed-spanish-stonehenge-180973070. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.

“'Spanish Stonehenge' Emerges from Drought-Hit Dam.” CNN Travel, 22 Aug. 2022, www.cnn.com/travel/article/spanish-stonehenge-drought/index.html. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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