ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF ROCK ART IN CAMPO LAMEIRO

Google Maps:
42.542000, -8.530389

Type of site:
Petroglyphs

Place of location: Middle Valley of the River Lérez
Village/Town: Paredes-Praderrei
Municipality: Campo Lameiro (Pontevedra)
Region: Galicia
State: Spain
Telephone: (+34) 886 15 11 95
Website: https://www.paar.es/?lang=en
E-mail: info@paar.es

Natural Environment:

The geographical area can be defined as a mountainous region in the transition between the pre-littoral hills of the “Dorsal Meridional Gallega” and the Southern Depression, a large fracture that crosses Galicia from north to south. In the immediate area of the site, the main vegetation is scrub-land and autochthonous woodland, with fields and meadows in the valleys and plantations of eucalyptus and pine further away from the villages. The place is located in the Valley of Lerez river that forms the Estuary of Pontevedra.

Archaeological evidences in the site:

The area of the Rias Baixas is characterised by the wealth and diversity of its prehistoric sites, and among these the open-air rock engravings are the most important and emblematic archaeological evidence. Most of the rock engravings in Galicia are concentrated in the middle valley of the River Lérez, in the municipalities of Campo Lameiro and Cotobade.

+info

Opening Times:

LOW SEASON: March, April, May, September, October: from Tuesday until Sunday. HIGH SEASON: From Tuesday until Sunday. Easter week: from Tuesday until Sunday. DAYS OF CLOSING: The Archaeological Park closes every Monday, except when it coincides with national or autonomous festivities. More information in the Facebook of the PAAR. The Archaeological Park will remain closed Januaty 1st, December 24th, 25th and 31th.

Booking and access:

http://www.paar.es/?lang=es reservas@paar.es

Nearby cultural destinations:

Other rock art sites have been prepared for public access near the Archaeological Park. Penalba Hill-fort (Iron Age: 8th-7th centuries BC). Civil and religious architecture in the nearby towns. Historical centre of Pontevedra.

Nearby natural destinations:

Area around the River Lérez.

Accommodations (Tourism Website):
https://www.turismo.gal/planifica-a-tua-viaxe/onde-aloxarse?langId=en_US
Restaurants (Tourism Website):
https://www.turismo.gal/planifica-a-tua-viaxe/onde-comer?langId=en_US

Age of the artistic representations:

Late Neolithic – Bronze Age.

General description of the destination:

This cultural destination was opened in 2011. It is configured to provide a balance between conservation, research and dissemination of the petroglyphs of Galicia. In the petroglyphs, the most common motifs are geometric and form a heterogeneous group of representations, among which cup-marks and circular combinations are the most abundant. They are often accompanied by figurative representations of zoomorphs and anthropomorphs. These occasionally form more complex compositions which can be interpreted as hunting and riding scenes.

History of the site:

The petroglyphs of Campo Lameiro have been known to the locals since time immemorial. The first scientific recognition of petroglyphs dates back to 1917. The sites of Outeiro dos Cogoludos and Laxe da Forneiriña were identified and studied by Ramón Sobrino Buhígas, who included them in his work Corpus Petroglyphorum Gallaeciae (1935). From this moment on, and during a long century of research, a long list of researchers, both national and international, will dedicate their efforts to make this extraordinary rock legacy known. An obvious turning point occurs during the 1980s, when Campo Lameiro reinforces its role as the symbolic capital of the petroglyphs of Galicia, especially thanks to the enormous work done by Antonio Álvarez Núñez. He will be responsible for substantially increasing the inventory of new petroglyphs in the middle valley of the Lérez River, and for initiating the first works for the conditioning of the petroglyphs promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, some of them located today inside the Archaeological Park of Rock Art that was inaugurated in 2011.

Museographic resources description:

A suggestive and innovative explanatory space that allows to know the petroglyphs of Galicia, to learn how they were executed, to identify the motives and scenes most frequently represented, to penetrate in their meaning and to know the form of life of their creators. A modern Visitor Centre is being built. In a floor area of 3500m2 it will provide exhibition space and rooms for the documentation and recording of rock art in Galicia, as well as a shop and café.