A unique archaeological site
The site is located at the western edge of the O Morrazo, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Costa da Vela and the Cíes Islands. A wide stretch of coastline from the Vigo ria to Fisterra can be observed from its peak.
The mount owes its name to the existence of a coastal lookout post on the summit in the 17th and 19th centuries which used facho, or fire, as a means of communication. Circular constructions with a dome-shaped stone roof, such as the one that can be seen at the top of the mount, belong to that period of occupation.
Evidence documented to date confirm that the site was occupied extensively throughout the ages, transforming the mount’s topography and spanning from the 9th century BCE to the 4th or 5th century, when it was partially reoccupied by a temple dedicated to an indigenous god, Deus Lar Berobreus.
The site is unique in the whole of the north-western peninsula, containing structures from different historical periods which, according to the latest interpretations, might at different moments have shared a similar use, associated with a Gallaecian cult prior to the arrival of the Romans.
Another feature that makes it exceptional is the large number of Roman votive altars (“aras”, or altar stones), indeed, more than a hundred, that have been found there.
The temple was finally abandoned, though not destroyed, at the end of the 4th century and beginning of the 5th as a consequence of the gradual replacement of pagan beliefs by Christian ones, intensified by the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.
A balcony overlooking the Atlantic
The location did and continues to provide a natural vantage point overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, as it had a visual command of a long stretch of coastline in an era when maritime trade was essential. The location also afforded excellent visibility and, as it was situated close to the sea and on one the highest spots in the area, it could both see and be seen.
The Cíes Islands, known in Ancient times as the Islands of the Gods, shrouded in myths and legends, can be monitored from the peaks. People flock here to see the spectacular sunset, when the sun appears to dip slowly into the sea, exactly as it would have done all those years ago.