From the First Settlers to the Mysterious Tartessos

When we travel through Andalusia, we are sometimes not fully aware of what we are walking on. Every corner, every hill, every river has witnessed civilizations that not only passed through, but also took root and transformed the land, contributing knowledge, lifestyles, and ways of seeing the world that live on—albeit sometimes camouflaged—in our daily lives. From the first Neolithic settlements to the echoes of Tartessos, what we are today as Andalusians is a tapestry woven by many hands and many cultures.

Neolithic and Chalcolithic: The First Traces

Andalusia was one of the first places on the Iberian Peninsula to adopt a sedentary lifestyle, thanks to its fertile lands and mild climate. From that ancient era, we have treasures like the Antequera Dolmens, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. There, the Menga, Viera, and El Romeral dolmens speak of a deeply spiritual relationship with the land, organized communities, and megalithic architecture that impresses with its scale and precision.

Visiting the dolmens is much more than just seeing a monument: it’s walking where the first Andalusian settlers walked. And if you pair it with a gastronomic experience based on local products, such as a tour of the white villages of Málaga or a lunch at a nearby organic farm, the immersion is complete.

Tartessos: Myth and Metallurgy

Fast forward a few millennia and we arrive at one of the most enigmatic civilizations in our history: Tartessos, the Atlantis of the South. Developed in the marshes of the Guadalquivir and areas of Huelva, Cádiz, and Seville, it was a metal-rich culture, highly advanced in trade, and with a direct relationship with civilizations like the Phoenicians.

And how can we discover Tartessos today? A good option is to take a tour that includes the Archaeological Museum of Seville, where the famous Treasure of El Carambolo is housed, or to visit Tartessian sites such as the Turuñuelo site, on the border with Extremadura. A route through the Sevillian countryside allows you to discover not only archaeological remains but also landscapes that have changed little since those times.

By combining this trip with experiences in pottery workshops using ancient techniques, you can relive the lost splendor of this influential yet unknown culture.

The Phoenicians: Traders and Navigators

The Phoenicians arrived from the Middle East around 3,000 years ago, and their influence was especially felt along the coast. They founded Gadir, present-day Cádiz, considered the oldest city in the West. They brought navigational knowledge, new forms of trade, alphabetic writing, and their plural worldview.

In Cádiz, you can still see remains of their passage, such as the Roman Theater—built later, but on earlier structures—or the Phoenician Necropolis of Trayamar (near Algarrobo, in Málaga). Along this stretch of Málaga’s coast, you can follow routes that combine archaeology with seafood cuisine and sweet wines, perfect for discovering the sea as the ancients understood it.

In the second part, we’ll travel with the Romans through Baetica, experience the Visigoth transformation, the splendor of Al-Andalus with the Umayyads, Almoravids, Almohads, and Nasrids, and then arrive at the Christian conquest and its cultural and social consequences. A story of fusion, legacy, and beauty that continues to shape our identity today.