Anta de Agualva

Also called: Anta do Carrascal

The buzz of traffic is fairly constant. People and dogs come walking by frequently. This is an urban setting, with houses and apartment blocks, shops and businesses all around. You walk along cement pathways, and approach the tomb along wooden boardwalks. There it lies, surrounded by green hedges, nestled in a bed of white stones. The capstone is gone, but the orthostats (upright stones) stand tall and gleaming in the sun. This is a prehistoric site that proudly stands in the middle of a modern town. The passers-by and those who sit on the nearby benches may not always acknowledge it, but the vastness of time is here to ponder for any who choose.

Despite being declared a national monument in 1910, and having a park around it and named after it (“Jardim da Anta”), the anta was neglected for many years and left in a pitiable state. (See images from 2010 here.) In 2017, the Sintra City Council spent money to rehabilitate it and give it the treatment it deserved. The park and the anta are both now a very pleasant place to visit in the middle of an urban area.

Location

Access

The only difficulty of accessing the site is finding parking! The site is in the middle of an urban park and is very easy to get to.

Signage

There are signs leading to the anta all around the area. Perhaps the best way to find it is to plug the street name of Rua Anta de Agualva into your satnav, park along the road named after the tomb, and walk into the park at the foot of the road. Follow the park signs: the anta is to the left.

All around the anta, there are explanatory signs in English and Portuguese.

Links

• Wikipedia article (in English)
• Entry in the English Megalithic Portal
• Description (in Portuguese) from the Archeological Portal of the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
• Designation (in Portuguese) as National Monument

Nearby

There are several megalithic sites in the Lisbon district, including the nearby Antas of Belas: Estria, Monte Abrãao, and Pedra da Mouros/Senhora da Serra.