Los Millares

Los Millares is a Copper Age settlement and necropolis in Santa Fe de Mondújar, southern Spain, located on a high plateau between two rivers. The site includes residential areas, multiple fortification lines with round towers, and an extensive burial ground with stone chamber tombs.

Railway workers discovered foundations and graves during construction in 1891, prompting archaeologist Luis Siret to begin systematic excavations. Occupation began around 3200 BC and ended roughly 800 years later when inhabitants left for unknown reasons.

The site takes its name from a nearby farmstead and now serves as a reference location for Copper Age settlement in the western Mediterranean. Visitors can see reconstructed dwellings that show how families lived in round huts with mud walls and thatched roofs.

Access is via an unpaved road from Santa Fe village, and comfortable shoes are advisable for the rocky terrain. On sunny days bring sun protection, as the site sits on open ground with no shade.

Outside the main walls lie four smaller fortifications on surrounding hills that served as outposts controlling access routes. This defensive structure is considered one of the oldest of its kind in Western Europe and shows a complex defense system.