Ten archaeological destinations where you'll (maybe) be alone

A pioneer in the use of wind energy and earthquake-resistant architecture, it belongs to one of the oldest civilizations in humanity and can now be visited: Peñico is the new archaeological site that Peru has just opened to the public, with enough features to divert traffic from the sumptuous citadel of Machu Picchu, 588 kilometers to the south. This is one of the ten archaeological sites with the most visitors in the world, along with the Pyramids of Giza, the Colosseum in Rome, the Acropolis of Athens, and Pompeii, among others. Aside from the must-sees , and in addition to Peñico, La Vanguardia asked archaeologists Marta Santos, Roberto Risch, Jusèp Boya, and Roger Sala for ideas on less-visited places around the world.

Peñico The other climate change

Peñico is a site at an altitude of 600 meters between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, open to visitors since July 12. “What's interesting is that Peñico preserves the archaeological tradition and symbolic elements of the Caral civilization,” explains Ruth Shady Solís, who led excavations at the site and also, in the 1990s, at nearby Caral, which gives its name to this civilization, “for example, in the public buildings and circular plazas where people gathered and held ritual ceremonies, and that's where we see how they adapted to climate change with harsh periods of drought.” This not-so -mainstream civilization used wind power more than 3,000 years ago and invented earthquake-resistant architecture. The former, in circular conduits, served to keep ceremonial fires alive, and the latter has enabled marvelous buildings to remain standing for tourists to contemplate in 2025. Japan, where earthquakes are common, has studied how they did it. Archaeologists haven't discovered weapons, defensive structures, or weapons, but they have discovered remains of cultural exchanges. They were peaceful. "They understood that it was more profitable to exchange than to conquer each other," says Shady. "We also know that each area had its own language, but they used a common language to communicate between areas."

STENNES ROCKS The other Stonehenge

Somewhat more modest, but also in the United Kingdom, the Rocks of Stenness are a Neolithic monument in the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, surrounded by other monuments from the same period. Archaeologists believe the area must have held a special ritual role. They have also been (since 1999) a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rock slabs are barely 30 centimeters thick but five centimeters high, and originally formed an ellipse 32 meters in diameter, surrounded by a ditch up to seven meters wide. There was also an earthen embankment with a single entrance, facing north. Studies of the pottery found there suggest that the monument dates back to 3000 BC.

DJENNÉ The Mud Mosque

Djennée is a wonderful enclave between the Niger and Bani rivers in Mali, founded around the 9th century. The Great Mosque, which stands out in the landscape with its adobe architecture, is impressive and was founded in 1240. A 17th-century imam wrote that in 1180 a sultan converted to Islam, ceded his palace, and ordered the construction of the great mosque. Djenné, along with several archaeological sites in the area, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

SANTU ANTINE 3,000-year-old dry stone

Santu Antine is the main structure in the Nuraghi Valley, on the plain of Cabu Abbas, Sardinia. These are Bronze Age (around 1500 BC) and Iron Age (800 BC) constructions. They are made of basalt blocks, conical in shape and without any mortar. Pure dry stone. The central tower of Santu Antine measures 17 meters and 15 meters in diameter, and is protected by a bastion of three towers; inside, it has three floors. In the surrounding area, 14 circular huts made up the village.

HAMPI Crossroads of religions

In the Tungabhadra River Valley in Karnataka, India, Hampi is an impressive complex of some 350 temples, palaces, fortifications, gardens, stables, and markets, spread over an area of 26 square kilometers. A World Heritage Site since 1986, it was the capital of the Vijayanagara dynasty between the 14th and 16th centuries, but its long tradition has made it important for Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism.

LINDISFARNE Fairytale castle and island

Lindisfarne is a castle and monastery complex on an island north of Great Britain, known as the "island of those who travel from Lindsey." The monastery's mission was to evangelize the wild northern coasts of England, and as such, it was the first monastery attacked by Vikings, on June 8, 793 AD. Before that, it had been a center of culture, producing, for example, the Lindisfarne Gospels, a Latin copy of the central text of Christianity.

HOUSES OF TURUÑUELO The palace that housed a massacre

Casas del Turuñuelo is one of the jewels of the Tartessian culture, which flourished in the southwest of the peninsula around the 5th century BC. In successive campaigns, Casas del Turuñuelo, in Guareña (Badajoz), brought to light an animal hecatomb, with around 40 animal sacrifices, mainly horses, but also cattle, pigs, and a dog. Archaeologists know that it was a ritual slaughter and that everything was immediately set on fire and the entire building buried. Why? It remains a mystery.

SAN PEDRO DE OLIETE The Spain that was not empty

San Pedro de Oliete was an Iberian settlement active between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC. It preserves significant walled remains, with a solidly fortified enclosure at one end, which takes advantage of the uneven terrain. On the north side, with no natural defenses, a seven-meter-wide ditch complicated matters. The key is that the defensive system of this settlement shows that its inhabitants (and especially its architects) must have adopted new systems to confront enemies with advanced assault vehicles.

BAETULO By metro to ancient Rome

It's the only one of the selected sites that's located at the foot of the metro. It's also underground. Beneath a building. The Badalona Museum wonderfully explains the ancient Roman city of Baetulo, now under a block of flats. It's impressive. It occupied some 13 hectares and lasted between the 1st and 6th centuries AD. Facing the sea, in an agricultural area, and even predating Barcino. Baetulo includes the thermal baths, the forum, old houses with shops, the decumanus maximus, the cardo maximus, chambers, mausoleums, and mansions, such as the House of the Dolphins, a mansion from the 1st century BC, at the top of the city, the House of Ivy, the Garden of Quintus Licinius, and the water conduit built between 14 and 37 AD. It's the only one of its kind that can be visited in Catalonia.

THE BANYOLES DREDGER Cabins at the foot of the lake

La Draga has been excavated continuously since the early 1990s: the area's humidity has kept some artifacts intact (two hunting bows, the 892 posts from the foundations of houses, etc.), providing a highly accurate understanding of what life was like in Catalonia some 7,000 years ago. Furthermore, the reconstruction of huts provides a perfect idea of how Neolithic inhabitants lived (and how cold they endured). It is the only prehistoric lake site on the Iberian Peninsula.