Cerro del Villar, Phoenician archaeological site in Guadalmar, Málaga, Spain.
Cerro del Villar is an eight-hectare archaeological site beside the Guadalhorce River, just one kilometer from the Mediterranean Sea. It reveals the remains of an ancient Phoenician settlement with residential structures and administrative buildings from different periods.
The settlement was founded in the eighth century before Christ and served as a major Phoenician colony at the river mouth. It was abandoned in the sixth century before Christ, likely due to environmental changes and shifts in trade routes.
The artifacts found here show how Phoenicians lived and worked in their daily lives. Pottery and tools reveal their craftsmanship and the trade networks that sustained this settlement.
The site is located in a modern suburb of Málaga and is best reached by car, as direct public transportation is not available. The excavation areas are not always open to visitors, so it is best to check beforehand whether active research programs are currently taking place.
The site preserves an original Phoenician urban layout that was never overlaid by modern construction. This makes it a rare window into ancient Mediterranean city planning, where visitors can see how space was genuinely organized in antiquity.
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