This group of tombs were the last ones that we saw before climbing up to the settlement proper. The first tomb along this stretch of path is somewhat smaller than the rest and has a massive, almost oversized capstone lying beside it (see fig. 14).
All around this area are great piles of stones in elongated mounds. Are there even more tombs under these or are they just where the stones were moved to when the exposed tombs were uncovered?
At the top of this section of track there is another pair of tombs. The one nearest the track is very battered (see fig. 14), but the other looks worse than it actually is. The walls are all there and a little bit of roof remains in place, all surrounded by a cairn made of massive lumps of rock (see fig. 16). These tombs are immediately below the settlement, which is perched on the cliffs above.
From here the climb up to Los Penas de los Gitanos begins. There are a couple of routes you can take, but I'll not try to describe them here as the one we took is potentially lethal! I recommend getting local advice for this bit.
The settlement is built on a long narrow ridge with cliffs on three sides. Access is via a narrow slope that is very easily defendable. The Romans came here and built on top of the Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements and they built a massive defensive wall across this slope (see fig. 17).
Beyond this are the low ruins of the Roman buildings, which built against a cliffface and stand on a narrow ledge - I reaaly wouldn't have liked to have lived up here.
The tombs featured here are just a small proportion of the 50+ that make up this necropolis. I will definitely come back to take a look at the others when I get chance, but now I know to approach from Illora next time. Frankly, I can't wait!
