Cabezo María: Volcano and Archaeological Site

Excavations conducted in 2025 and 2026 have uncovered a discovery of great significance: a late antique church, likely dating from the 6th or 7th century. Next to it, researchers have documented rooms partially carved into the rock, walls, layers of habitation, and spaces adapted to the slope, in which the mountain itself forms part of the architecture.

Notable among the recovered artifacts are oil lamps decorated with the Paschal Lamb—an unmistakable Christian symbol—and ceramics imported from North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. Based on these findings, the research team led by Julio M. Román hypothesizes that Cabezo María may have been home to a Christian monastic community, perhaps one of the earliest documented monasteries in Andalusia from this period. All evidence points to a place of worship, retreat, and communal life.