Archaeological site · Mira
Los Villares necropolis
At Los Villares, in the municipality of Mira, railway works uncovered cremation urns, coarse pottery and some amphorae in 1932, interpreted by the press as an Iberian cemetery. Abascal concluded that it could not be identified with any known cemetery. Beside it is an Iberian hillside settlement with no visible structures.
- Municipality
- Mira
- Iberian necropolis
- Los Villares
- Mira
- Cremation urns
A discovery during construction
In the summer of 1932, during railway works at Villares de Mira, a foreman found three cremation urns, one grey and two red, coarse pottery and some amphorae. The press spoke of an Iberian cemetery. It has not been possible to link it to any known cemetery; the nearest site then was El Collado de la Cañada, near Mira, but there is no proof that the urns came from there.
The settlement
Surface investigation on the Los Villares hillside has identified a settlement with no visible walls, with Iberian material from all its phases, as well as Roman and medieval material. Alongside Collado de la Cañada, it would have been among the settlements remaining inhabited during the Mature Iberian period, each with its cemetery.
Plan your visit
Before you travel
It is not prepared for visitors: this is an archaeological site, and nothing may be collected.
Combine with
Cueva Santa del Cabriel, Mira’s other major Iberian site.
Frequently asked questions
What was found in 1932?
According to El Debate of 2 August 1932, three cremation urns, coarse pottery and some amphorae, during railway works at Villares de Mira.
Has the cemetery been identified?
No: Abascal concludes that it could not be identified with any known cemetery in the area; the nearest was El Collado de la Cañada.
Carry on from here
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the land
These readings connect Los Villares necropolis with the stories, the work and the villages around it.
This place through time
Which eras you can read here
A single place can keep traces of several periods. These layers connect what you see with the atlas's stories.
Where it is
Where the data on this page come from
- Name
- Marín Rubio, Esther: «Una hipótesis sobre la organización del territorio en época ibérica en la cuenca del río Algarra» (2004) source consulted
- «La necrópolis de Los Villares de Mira» (2010) source consulted
- Real Academia de la Historia (España): «Expediente sobre el hallazgo de una necrópolis de incineración prerromana en Mira y restos constructivos romanos en Carboneras de Guadazaón, provincia de Cuenca» reference located
- Abascal Palazón, Juan Manuel: «Documentos inéditos sobre las necrópolis de Cañizares, Mira y Arguisuelas (Cuenca)» (1999) source consulted
- Municipality (INE code)
- Marín Rubio, Esther: «Una hipótesis sobre la organización del territorio en época ibérica en la cuenca del río Algarra» (2004) source consulted
- «La necrópolis de Los Villares de Mira» (2010) source consulted
- Real Academia de la Historia (España): «Expediente sobre el hallazgo de una necrópolis de incineración prerromana en Mira y restos constructivos romanos en Carboneras de Guadazaón, provincia de Cuenca» reference located
- Abascal Palazón, Juan Manuel: «Documentos inéditos sobre las necrópolis de Cañizares, Mira y Arguisuelas (Cuenca)» (1999) source consulted
«Source consulted»: the primary source has been read. «Reference located»: the source has been identified but not yet read. «Open question»: the figure needs confirmation.