Necrópolis megalítica de Panoría, megalithic necropolis in Darro, Spain

The Megalithic Necropolis of Panoría is a prehistoric burial site of at least 19 tombs, five excavated in 2015, on the southeastern slope of the hill of the same name at the eastern end of the Sierra Harana, 1.5 km from Darro. The tombs are polygonal or rectangular chambers built with large slabs of Ammonitico Rosso limestone, accessed by short, narrow passages and partly sunk so only the upper parts of the slabs protrude.

Discovered in 2012, the necropolis was excavated in 2015 by the University of Granada's GEA research group, which opened five of its at least 19 tombs. Radiocarbon dating of 19 individuals places the first burials between 3525 and 3195 BC and the last between 2125 and 1980 BC, so the site was used for 1055 to 1410 years. Tombs were not built at once: dates differ by centuries, and some saw reuse after long periods of inactivity.

Three of the excavated tombs face the sunrise around the equinoxes, a pattern also inferred for unexcavated graves from surface evidence. Tomb 6 instead points almost due south, toward Cerro Trevélez in the Sierra Nevada. Researchers read these alignments as part of ritual practices that went beyond burial, making the hill of Panoría a sacred place where communities of the Guadix basin converged.

The necropolis lies on the southeastern slope of the Panoría hill, about 1.5 km from Darro and roughly 900 m from the Rambla Seca stream, on the left bank. The tombs are partly sunk into the ground, with only the upper parts of the slabs visible, so look for low stone outlines rather than standing monuments. Ground is uneven and unshaded.

The necropolis was used for over a thousand years, from roughly 3525–3195 BC to 2125–1980 BC, making it the longest-used ritual and burial space in the province of Granada. Its tombs were not built together: radiocarbon dates show centuries between them, and some were reused after long periods of inactivity.