Archaeological Dolmens of Antequera — Attraction in Antequera

I went last weekend. Was it worth the almost 3 hour drive from Rota? No. Were there amusements to be had in nearby Antequera? Not really. I wanted to visit because I got my degree on Anthropology and I'm generally interested in archaeological sites anywhere I go. The visitor center was free, they had an informative video playing in a theater inside which they switched to English for us. There were several captions on the interpretive displays of pot sherds and lithics they had in the display cases in English, but there was a tour group gathering inside the museum, and the guide was speaking to them over a belt mounted speaker and microphone so loudly that I found myself too distracted to want to stay inside and force myself to concentrate. I'm used to museums being quiet , reverential places, and this crowd was not that..

What I found disconcerting was that there were employees stationed everywhere around the site, along with surveillance cameras. One woman was stationed at the head of the trail in the parking lot, and she snipped at my companion for smoking outside her vehicle in the open air with no one else around. The employees follow you inside the chambers of the dolmens and yell at people for touching the walls, even though there's zero signage or warning not to do so. In fact, there's zero interpretive information on the site once you leave the museum. Apparently we did the correct thing in going to the museum first. Because inside the museum they gave us a little ticket, which we were asked for at the entrance to each of the three dolmens on site and down the road.

We drove down the road and visited the Tholos el Romeral too, which is part of the same museum complex. We ended up waiting for a film crew to wrap up what they were doing, and then we were lead inside by a chaperone with another couple. I appreciate the zealousness to protect the site, but we saw that the couple with us were trying to take a photograph on our way out of the cupola, so we hung back for 20 seconds to avoid being in their shot, and we were rewarded with a scolding about how others were in line waiting to see the inside of the cupola by our employee chaperone, which I found slightly annoying since I was attempting to be a polite guest, and because I'm not 12. All in all. The only extensive information you're going to get on this site outside an internet paywall is from the museum. Maybe make this a part of a day trip...

Loved this space definitely a must if you like history or anthropology. Visit museum first as it gives you all the information about the people who built it , the uniqueness of this discovery and how it became a world heritage site. Very spacious and informative displays and expositions. It's free but remember to pick up your ticket at the museum reception. Make sure to see the short video explaining the construction of the structures. It's totally amazing. Toilets where very clean and installations and facilities where very good. Very well signposted all the way. Don't miss the rock formation opposite the entrance of the Dolmens in the shape of a women s face. There isn't any cafe or restaurants on site but it is very near the town. Probably if you like reading the exposition pieces give yourself 2 hours. Definitely worth a visit for...

Precio : GRATUITO

El Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera, Patrimonio Mundial de la Unesco, lo conforman los Dólmenes de Menga, Viera y El Romeral en Antequera, Málaga, y es considerado como uno de los mejores y más conocidos exponentes del megalitismo europeo. Los megalitos constituyen las primeras formas de arquitectura monumental en la Prehistoria europea, desarrollándose, de acuerdo con los datos actualmente disponibles, desde comienzos del V milenio antes de nuestra era, período Neolítico, hace unos 6.500 años.

Ya en 1886 fue declarado Monumento Nacional, el Dolmen de Menga y en 1923, el Dolmen de Viera. El Tholos de El Romeral pertenece al Tesoro Artístico Arqueológico Nacional desde 1926 y en 1931 fue declarado Monumento Histórico-Artístico. Recientemente, mediante el Decreto 25/2009, de 27 de enero, el ámbito arqueológico de los Dólmenes de Antequera se inscribió en el Catálogo General del Patrimonio Histórico Andaluz como Bien de Interés Cultural, con la tipología de Zona Arqueológica. Dependientes de la Consejería de Cultura, siendo Unidad Administrativa desde 1986, en el año 2010 aparece el Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera como servicio administrativo con gestión diferenciada.

Horario

Del 1 de enero al 31 de marzo y del 16 de septiembre al 31 de diciembre: De martes a sábado, de 09:00 a 18:00 h. Domingo, festivos y lunes víspera de festivo, de 09:00 a 15:00 h. Lunes (no festivos): cerrado. Del 1 de abril al 15 de junio: De martes a sábado, de 09:00 a 20:00 h. Domingo, festivos y lunes víspera de festivo, de 09:00 a 15:00 h. Lunes (no festivos): cerrado. Verano (16 de junio al 15 de septiembre): De martes a domingo, festivos y lunes víspera de festivos, de 09:00 a 15:00 h. Lunes (no festivos): cerrado. Los museos y conjuntos arqueológicos y monumentales abrirán todos los festivos, incluidos los locales, con excepción del 1 y 6 de enero, 1 de mayo y 24, 25 y 31 de diciembre.

Otra información

El acceso al Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera finaliza treinta minutos antes del horario de cierre. La entrada con el servicio de visitas guiadas gratuitas debe concertarse, por recomendación, con antelación vía...