“Between the living and the dead. Megalithism in Cacela from the prehistoric tomb of Santa Rita” is the theme of the Passos Contados route scheduled for Sunday, November 5th. The meeting point is scheduled for 9:30 am, in Santa Rita.
The first references to the megalithic heritage of the Cacela region are due to Estácio da Veiga.
In the first volume of his most emblematic work, Monumental Antiquities of the Algarve, given to print in 1886, this author from Tavira describes the works and assets documented in the monuments of Nora and Marcela, located in the parish of Cacela.
Despite their joint classification in 1910, these monuments are now completely destroyed, and their exact location is unknown.
It was necessary to wait more than a century to resume research on this topic. At the beginning of this century, during the work to prepare the Cacela Heritage Charter, new megalithic monuments were identified, which gave rise to a research project aimed at the study of Prehistory and Megalithism in the Cacela region.
As part of this project, systematic archaeological work was carried out on the megalithic tomb of Santa Rita.
The information provided by the archaeological excavation and the scientific analyzes carried out on the documented remains allow us to affirm that this was a sacred space with an uninterrupted history of more than 3000 years. «These are ancient secrets that we promise to uncover during the tour», highlights the Cacela Heritage Research and Information Center, which organizes the visit.
The route will be guided by Nuno Inácio, archaeologist. He received a PhD in Archeology from the University of Huelva (Spain), with a thesis on the Prehistory of the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
He was one of the scientific responsible for the project “Prehistory and Megalithic in the Cacela region”, having carried out excavation work in the megalithic tomb of Santa Rita.
Since 2019, he has been a member of the staff of the municipality of Grândola as a senior archeology technician, carrying out research, valorization and preservation work on the megalithic heritage of that municipality.
REGISTRATION
Cacela Heritage Research and Information Center
Former Primary School of Santa Rita
Tel. 281 952600 | [email protected] | http://ciipcacela.wordpress.com
Participations are limited. Sign up in advance, leaving your name and contact details
Registration fee – €5
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