Leaving the finger of God behind, also known as the Menir dos Almendres, it was time to continue traveling towards the place and one of the highlights of this season.
Note that the title "finger of God" was invented by me ...: P
Ahead we still covered a few kilometers of dirt road and a little rugged that meandered through the mountains, crossing vast lands full of cork oaks that let shy rays of an ever lower sun pass in the late afternoon.
In the meantime we arrived at a wide open space that, despite being practically empty, i understand that it is a kind of parking lot so that those who travel there can park the car.
From there, it was an instant until reaching the megalithic enclosure of Almendres, which is nothing more than one of the most important and relevant prehistoric monumental ensemble in the Iberian Peninsula.
At the site in question, the Almendres Cromeleque is the most important structure, having been classified as a national monument in 2015.
According to some studies, it is estimated that it was built between the 6th and 5th millennium BC, having been discovered by researcher Henrique Leonor Pina only in 1964, while making the Geological Chart of Portugal.
And there we were, before the Portuguese Stonehenge, next to the village of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, erected in an elliptical field with a large part of the menhirs flanking it while many others rise in the middle without apparent symmetry.
Despite having read some articles about this place, among studies and explanations that justify the construction in order to practice sacred assemblies or ceremonies there, everything for me remained a fascinating mystery.
There are similar constructions, such as tapirs, whose funerary function has already been unveiled and debated and proven several times, but in the case of these megalithic enclosures, the story changes and although its symbolic and sacred character is recognized, its true function remains a mystery.
Usually, their locations seem to confirm an intentional relationship with cyclical movement of the Sun and Moon.
In some of the menhirs that are perfectly preserved, it is still possible to see some engravings carved in the stone.
I think the moment could not have been different, the mystique of the place combined with an absolutely magnificent sunset, turned that evening into a moment not to forget, without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of this trip to the Alentejo.
That´s all for today :)
See you soon
Thank you for watching :)
All images are my property | Images © 2020 @aleister
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