Mysterious ‘Spanish Stonehenge' submerged no more
Spain is just one of many European countries experiencing record-breaking temperatures and drought this summer. One result of the dry spell in the country is an incredibly rare sight that has captured worldwide intrigue.
Officially known as Dolmen of Guadalperal, the man-made rock formation--dubbed "Spanish Stonehenge" because it resembles the more famous English Stonehenge--has emerged from the Valdecanas reservoir in the Spanish province of Caceres, where drought has dropped the water level to 28% capacity, per local authorities.
Sightings of the formation have been in the single digits since 1963 when the area was flooded during a rural development project and the monument vanished from view. Originally discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, Dolmen of Guadalperal consists of dozens of megalithic stones vertically arranged and is believed to date back to 5,000 B.C.
"I had seen parts of it peeking out from the water before, but this is the first time I've seen it in full," Angel Castaño, a resident of a nearby village and president of the local Raíces de Peralêda cultural association, told Atlas Obscura. "It's spectacular because you can appreciate the entire complex for the first time in decades."
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Amalie Garcia, 54, stands next to the Dolmen of Guadalperal, which emerged due to drought at the Valdecanas reservoir in El Gordo, western Spain, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. In the wake of three heat waves and little rain in sight, Spain's reservoirs are getting emptier by the week, and not just in the traditionally more arid southern part of the country. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) |
But now the rare exposure of the stones has led to historical curiosity with little known about who originally erected the Dolmen. One theory about the creation suggests that the formation is meant to act as a tomb with human remains found in similar Dolmens across Western Europe.
"It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it," Enrique Cedillo, an archaeologist from Madrid's Complutense University, told Reuters.
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Dolmen of Guadalperal, known as the "Spanish Stonehenge," has become exposed in a rare sighting. (Photo via Reuters) |
Also taking advantage of the situation are local tour guides, including boat tour guide Ruben Argentas, who told Reuters that "the Dolmen emerges and the Dolmen tourism begins." Argentas is just one of the tour guides shuttling tourists back and forth from the historic site, bringing an economic boon to the tourism sector.
The climate in Spain, like much of Europe this summer, has negatively impacted the economy as well by ravaging local farmlands. Farmers have noted to Reuters that crops such as the sweet pepper have been diminished over the summer months.
"There hasn't been enough rain since the spring...there is no water for the livestock and we have to transport it in," local farmer Jose Manuel Comendador told Reuters.
Drought conditions have unearthed more than just the Dolmen, as many European rivers have recently surfaced "Hungersteine" or "Hunger Stones," boulders with messages marking low water levels. The stones were meant as warnings from ancestors about famine and date back to the 15th century. Outside of Europe, water levels in the Chinese Yangtze River have dropped so much that age-old Buddhist statues have been uncovered.
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