Discover Antas: Archaeology, Nature Trails and Holiday Apartments

Antas takes you right into the history of southeastern Spain: Lugarico Viejo is a fortified Bronze Age settlement area protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest, with huts and burials.

Culture

El Argar and La Gerundia are designated as Assets of Cultural Interest in the category of archaeological zone within the municipality of Antas. The zone lies on the left bank of the Río Antas on two irregularly shaped plateaus, separated by a terraced area used for agriculture.

The Centro de Interpretación de la Cultura Argárica, or CICA for short, uses a museum collection, explanatory panels and reconstructions to convey the everyday life of Bronze Age Argaric communities. It also explores their advanced metallurgy, distinctive pottery, complex social organisation and particular burial practices.

The CICA can be visited independently or as part of a tour booked in advance. Visitor packages may include a guided tour, an archaeology workshop and a grain-grinding workshop. The Centro de Interpretación is located at Calle Arrieros 2 in Antas; the street Paseo del Huerto, just a few metres away, is recommended for parking.

The Poblado Argárico de Antas reconstructs dwellings and aspects of the everyday life of Bronze Age communities more than 4,000 years ago. These include burials and workshops for grinding grain. Visits take place with prior reservation and a guided tour, and may form part of a joint tour with the CICA.

The Acueducto real, also known as the “Complejo Hidráulico de El Real”, was built around 1915 and supplied water to private gardens and the local residential area. The parish church of Antas is also called Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Cabeza; it was built in 1505 and is distinguished externally by its tower.

El Garcel is an Early Copper Age settlement with huts, round hearths, silos and slag from copper smelting. The oldest olive stones on the Iberian Peninsula were also found there.

La Vieja is celebrated in the municipality on the day when Lent is divided in two; a paper figure filled with sweets is broken apart with stones.

Other places:Huércal-Overa, Láujar De Andarax, Los Gallardos, Los Escullos, Beires, Garrucha, Caserío Santopétar, Albox

Nature

Cabezo María is an ancient volcano and the only volcano in the Levante almeriense; an archaeological site is located on its slope. In the municipality of Antas in Almería, the hill is protected as an archaeological zone and contains remains dating from the Bronze Age to the Hispano-Muslim period.

At the summit of the Cabezo María archaeological zone stands the Ermita de la Virgen de la Cabeza. Guided visits take you to the archaeological remains and also cover the volcanology of this sole volcano in the Levante almeriense, as well as the intangible cultural heritage associated with the hill.

The nature route between Cabezo María and La Huerta is almost 5.5 km long and runs through Las Cañadas and El Pilarico near the Río Antas. A second nature route between Los Mosquitos and Los Raimundos is 2.8 km long and can be completed in less than half an hour.

The different route lengths and the stated duration give you two clearly distinct options for fitting nature trails into your own daily itinerary.

For the main travel overview: Almeria.