Category: Archaeology > Necropolis
District: Vila Real > Montalegre > Padornelos > Veiga
The Veiga Mamoas are located in the Veiga area, which belongs to the village of Padornelos, in the municipality of Montalegre. This complex of prehistoric monuments is situated in a rural area, a flattened plain that stretches along the Sá stream, located on the outskirts of the town of Montalegre, about five kilometers from the center.
Scattered across the landscape on both sides of a local road, the mamoas are set in a natural environment where past and present meet, allowing for a quiet and immersive observation of the region's cultural heritage.
The Veiga Mamoas are a complex of five megalithic structures, erected approximately five thousand years ago, during the Neolithic period, around 3000 BC. These monuments, which originally served as burial sites, are antas (dolmens) covered by large mounds of earth and small stones, known as mamoas.
Their construction reveals the ingenuity and beliefs of the communities that inhabited these remote lands. The builders used large granite monoliths to create the burial chambers, which were then carefully covered, forming the elevations seen in the landscape today.
Among the five mamoas that make up this complex, the diversity in their state of conservation stands out. While some are more visible and retain their original characteristics, others have been naturally affected by time or agricultural activities in the area, showing their lithic shell of stones.
Particularly interesting is Mamoa 4, which still retains two of its orthostats. One of them features insculturas, namely a set of carved crosses, which add a layer of later history to this ancient site, suggesting the symbolic re-use of the location over the centuries. Mamoa 3, in turn, is often referred to as one of the largest and best-preserved in the municipality, reaching about thirty meters in diameter and three meters in height.
Visiting the Veiga Mamoas provides a unique opportunity to directly encounter vestiges of one of the oldest civilizations that inhabited Northwest Portugal. Being in the presence of these funerary constructions, amidst the rural landscape, invites reflection on the vastness of time and the persistence of human memory in the territory.
This complex of mamoas functions as a true historical-cultural landmark, where each elevation in the terrain whispers stories of rituals and beliefs from a distant past, offering a contemplative and educational experience to those who venture to explore Montalegre's megalithic heritage.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.83515,-7.750519
Coordinates DMS: 41°50'6.5"N 07°45'1.9"W
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