Castro de Santa Tegra

Monte de Santa Tegra, (Galicia) Spain

What can be seen in this picture is a pre-Roman Celtic hill fort settlement (castro), typical to the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula.  Many of these settlements lasted until the arrival of the Romans.  The Castro de Santa Tegra, dating back to the 1st century BC, or possibly before, is an excellent example of the castro culture which contained hundreds of huts laid out in neighborhoods and streets enclosed within a surrounding wall and ditches.  These circular shaped huts, each of roughly the same size, were topped with a cone shaped thatch roof.

The Celtic hill fort settlements were typically set on mountains and in elevated positions or close to the coast using the geography of the land as a natural defense system.  The Castro de Santa Tegra sits at 340 meters and has an amazing panoramic view of the Minho River estuary flowing into the Atlantic Ocean creating a natural border between Spain and Portugal.

Panorama view image taken from http://www.galiciaenfotos.com/tag/santa-tecla/