Puntos de Interés
Culture
The Prado de las Cruces Dolmen
The Prado de las Cruces Dolmen was discovered in 1987.
Near Bernuy-Salinero, we find the Dolmen of Prado de las Cruces, a true archaeological treasure. Unearthed in 1987, this impressive megalithic tomb, hidden underground for millennia, is one of the best examples of megalithic architecture in the province of Ávila. Used from the Neolithic period, 5,000 BC, until the end of the Bronze Age, 1,000 BC, this space was conceived as a cemetery and spiritual space where the surrounding populations gathered to host ceremonies and make offerings.
The dolmen is a corridor tomb with a circular chamber 3.5 metres in diameter, formed by 10 flat granite slabs, kept in place on the outside by the accumulation of earth and small stones that created a mound about 12 metres wide that protected the structure. Although the original ceiling, probably of large slabs or logs, has been lost, the chamber is thought to have been about 1.5 metres high. A corridor 4 metres long and 1 metre wide, also bounded by flagstones, connects to the entrance, which faces southeast to catch the light of the sunrise during the winter solstice.
After its discovery, several archaeological excavations were carried out, which revealed the full extent and unearthed artefacts including necklace beads, flint arrowheads and halberds, flint knives and sickle fragments, and several plain and decorated ceramic vessels. It was subsequently declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1995.