Mamoa do Castelo

In the parish of Jou and in the hamlet of Castelo, at an altitude of 709 meters, there are three tumuli, standing out in the flat landscape of the site. One appears to be intact, but the other two no longer have a roof slab. The intact tumulus stands on the flat top of a small hill with very gentle slopes, standing out from the surrounding landscape, although its visibility is restricted in certain directions due to the existence of higher points nearby. Considered to be the most surprising prehistoric monuments in Western and Northern Europe from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, the dolmens fall within the so-called megalithic period. The dolmens are tombs with a complex architecture that varies from place to place. However, they essentially consist of a chamber flanked by slabs placed vertically (posts) and covered by another large slab (lid or hat). This chamber may or may not have an access corridor. When covered in earth, the dolmens are called mamoas (here called "madorras").