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The Dolmen of Guadalperal is a megalithic tomb located in the Spanish province of Cáceres, some two hours south-west of Madrid. The site is believed to be a Neolithic funerary monument, probably constructed between the 5th and 4th millennium BC.
The dolmen’s existence has been known since it was excavated in the 1920s by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier. However, in 1963 the construction of the Valdecañas reservoir flooded the area and submerged the site below several metres of water. The stones have re-emerged a handful of times, when water levels have receded during long, dry summers. In recent years, the monument was fully exposed in July 2019, and it has also reappeared every summer since. This has enabled a new appreciation for the remarkable site, but has sparked serious concerns about its preservation as well.
Rafael Ruiz Fuente said of his experience photographing the Dolmen of Guadalperal: ‘My personal experience with the monument was nothing but exciting! In 2019, after rumours were spread of its existence and visibility, I visited the site up to four different times: one of them was filming video, and the remaining three I spent the night shooting night photography. I remember carrying a tablet and watching the US Open Tennis Men’s Singles Final, with Rafael Nadal, for most of the duration of the night, making it a sleepless and productive one!’
The image was chosen as the winner of the CWA Photo of the Year 2024 Competition (sponsored by Hidden History). Click here to see the runners-up.
Text: Rafael Ruiz Fuente and Amy Brunskill / Image: Rafael Ruiz Fuente (rafaruizfuente@yahoo.es)
Please send your images to cwa@world-archaeology.com. They must be high resolution (300 dpi) and in landscape format, ideally 20cm high by 30cm wide.
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