It is a megalithic construction built between the end of the 5th and the 3rd century BC. B.C. and was declared a cultural asset in the State Gazette (BOE) in May 2022 with the category Archaeological Zone. It was discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926 and flooded in 1963 for a rural development project.
It is currently fully visible in a corner of the Valdecañas reservoir due to the severe drought Europe is suffering, and experts say the water level has dropped by 28% of its capacity.
It is a unique opportunity for archaeologists to study the stone collection as it has only been uncovered four times. Local history and tourism associations have advocated moving the Guadalperal stones to a museum or other location on the mainland. A scientific working group (made up of universities and educational institutions) has stated that “the transfer of the megalithic group would mean an irreversible loss of historical-archaeological context”.
The dolmen is an “extraordinary example of megalithic construction,” according to the government, due to the historical value of the enclave and the exceptional nature of the complex.
Climate change has caused the Iberian Peninsula to be its driest in over a thousand years, and winter precipitation is expected to continue to decrease.