<< Our Photo Pages >> Ulaca - Castro or Chafurdão in Spain in Castilla y León
Submitted by ernar on Tuesday, 12 October 2004 Page Views: 8767
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: UlacaCountry: Spain
NOTE: This site is 10.228 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: Castilla y León Type: Castro or Chafurdão
Nearest Town: Ávila Nearest Village: Villaviciosa
Latitude: 40.529652N Longitude: 4.885475W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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External Links:
Castro in Castilla y León. The Castro of Ulaca is the ancient capital of the Vettones (a Celtic Tribe). Though not very thoroughly excavated, the Castro is dated as far back as S.V BC and was supposedly abandoned by S.I/II AD when the Roman conquerors forced the local population to more accessible sites in the Amblés Valley.
The economy of the city was mainly based on the agricultural exploitation of the lowlands of the Amblés valley, together with cattle herding in the humid north face of the Sistema Central Mountains.
The fortified oppida of Ulaca – which could more properly be described as a fortified mountain – covered an impressive total of 60ha at its peak. Within the site, the remains of several types of buildings can be found: uncountable rectangular huts, a sauna, what is considered a temple and sacrificial altar, a quarry, a fortified tower, carved watch posts and of course the fortifications.
To reach the site, take the N-502 from Ávila until you reach the village of Solosancho. Once there take the left fork to the small village of Villaviciosa. The Castro’s will be the mountain to the left of the village, with the entrance signposted a bit further along the road.
To reach the ancient town of Ulaca, leave the car at the entrance (there is a small parking area) and climb the mountain following the yellow concrete blocks set for that purpose. Mind that it is a long climb! Once through the gates there are 14 visitor stations illustrating the key areas of the Castro. Be careful! At least one is missing and we couldn’t find Nº14 after a long and strenuous walk. Also, the distances within the Castro are deceiving, with ravines and small hills within it so watch out.
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