Castro de Castromaior, Portomarín, Spain

Castro de Castromaior in Portomarin is one of the most popular archaeological sites in the northwest of the peninsula. In this castro, developed in the Iron Age, it was inhabited between the fourth centuries BC and first century AD until three different populations, until its abandonment with the first Roman approaches. Of him they emphasize his big dimensions, since it counts on an area of approximately 5 hectares, and his good state of conservation.

Between 2006 and 2010 it was the center of archaeological works in order to discover its entire structure, thereby achieving that in 2010 it obtained the title of Cultural Interest. Thanks to this title and being located a few meters from the route that connects the French Way with Santiago de Compostela, it has become one of the most popular locations on the Camino de Santiago.

Like other popular castros, the Castro de Castromaior is located on an elevation since its inhabitants had great visibility to be prepared for enemy attacks. It is distributed by a main enclosure, where homes were concentrated, and different walled platforms located outside. According to experts, the usual houses that formed in castro, were initially made with vegetables, but a fire calcined them and were rebuilt with stone walls. Currently, in the castro the ditches and holes where the posts were located are preserved.

References:

vivecamino.com

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Spain

User Reviews

Z (3 years ago)
A slight drift off the Camino route- less than 20 meters- and you’ll find it. If you take bikes, you can stay on the highway and take the pedestrian route only when you’re right on the spot. Otherwise, if you enter through Castromaior it’ll be quite a climb together with the pedestrians. Wish that there was some explanation.

Remis Van (3 years ago)
Castro de Castromaior - There's only a little sign by the Camino de Santiago road. The ultimate majority just kept on going. But we took this deviation - and it really worth while.

Claudia Brezovan (6 years ago)
This is something pretty to see. If you are a pilgrim, go see it, it will not make the path longer and it will give you a nice view.

Graciela Porraz (6 years ago)
A little detour from the main El Camino road. We walked to the archeological site and it was surprisingly well kept and interesting to visit. Nice views from that place to the valley.

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There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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