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ARCHIVED - 5,000 year old megalith found whitewashed in Cadiz
Despite its clear cultural importance, the ancient structure has never been officially catalogued in Andalusia
Residents and historians in rural Cádiz were left baffled earlier this week when they woke to find the 5,000-year-old Menhir de La Lancha megalith, located on the CA-6105 road between Villamartín and Arcos, completely whitewashed.
Although it has no plaque or information board describing its importance, and it is not catalogued by the Cultural administration, the 1.77-metre-high stone structure is well known in the area and is one of only half a dozen megalithic menhirs in Cádiz. In fact, it’s located just a stone’s throw away from the Alberite Dolmen complex, between the resting place of La Sevillana and the beginning of the road to a private estate.
The whitewashing of the stone has led to an investigation by the Junta de Andalucia but no foul play is suspected. The megalith is set beside a narrow country lane without any road markings and surrounded by farm land; it’s far more likely that a concerned local painted the structure to make it stand out in the dark to avoid accidents, not realising its historic value.
Be it vandalism or ignorance, the whitewashing has served one important purpose in drawing attention to the megalith so that it can be officially recognised.
Researcher Agustín García Lázaro explains that, since December 2021, "the regulations state that all elements related to megalithism are assets of cultural interest" just as castles or cave paintings are.
What is missing, he added, is a clearly visible landmark at the foot of the road that indicates the cultural importance of the structure and guarantees its conservation.
He is hopeful that the paint can be easily removed from this megalithic landmark to save its former appearance, although that will be for archaeologists to determine.
Image: Entorno a Jerez blog
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