Lamas Dolmen

Category: Culture and Entertainment > Museum

District: Braga > Braga > Lamas > Mamoa

Location

The Mamoa de Lamas is located in the town of Lamas, within the municipality of Braga. It is situated in the local urban area, in a place that still bears the name "Mamoa" today.

Despite being surrounded by urban development, the mamoa occupies a distinct point in the terrain, slightly elevated and isolated from the surrounding buildings.

An Ancestral Legacy

This monument is a direct testament to the Prehistoric period in the region, dating back to the Neolithic era, approximately 5,000 years ago.

It represents one of the oldest marks of human presence and practices in the territory that today forms the municipality of Braga.

Nature of the Monument

The Mamoa de Lamas is classified as a megalithic monument, specifically a tomb. It originally consisted of a structure made with large stone slabs, known as a dolmen or anta, covered by an artificial mound of earth, the mamoa itself.

This construction served as a burial and ritual site for the communities that inhabited this area thousands of years ago. Although only a few slabs of the original structure remain visible on site, their presence evokes the social and spiritual complexity of these prehistoric groups.

The Recent Discovery

The existence of this ancestral monument was brought to public knowledge unexpectedly, in February 1993.

During earthworks for the construction of an urbanization, an excavator accidentally revealed the stone structures that had been protected under the mound of earth. This fortuitous discovery led to the suspension of works and the initiation of archaeological interventions to study and preserve the site.

Heritage and Knowledge

The Mamoa de Lamas is officially recognized as a Site of Municipal Interest, underlining its historical and archaeological importance.

Currently, it functions as a cultural and recreational landmark in the locality. For those wishing to deepen their knowledge about this monument and the communities that built it, there is an Interpretive Center dedicated to the Mamoa de Lamas, named "Sala da Memória" (Memory Room), located in the building of the Lamas Parish Council. This complementary space helps to contextualize the discovery and the ancestral life associated with the site.