The La Cuesta archaeological site
Place with occupations from the Chalcolithic to the Second Iron Age
La Cuesta archaeological site
It is located in the central and northern part of sector 13 of the Torrejón de Velasco Urban Planning General Plan, on a hill with a gentle slope towards the Arboledas stream. The importance of this watercourse, which flows into the Guatén stream, is reflected by the great concentration of archaeological sites from different periods that exist on its banks.
The La Cuesta deposit covers an area of 141.734 m². In it 1.813 substructures have been located, of which a total of 1.397 have been excavated, showing a long sequence of occupation from the Chalcolithic period to the Second Iron Age.
From the first moment of occupation, about twenty structures have been excavated, most of them small holes and buckets, whose depth does not reach 50 cm, which have provided a remarkable amount of archaeological materials, among which the bell-shaped bowls and vases stand out. in Ciempozuelos style.
In the southwestern part of the site, more than three hundred post holes have been located that make up a space located chronologically in the Middle Bronze Age, in which structures of various forms and functions have been erected. Thus, along with possible living areas made up of numerous post holes that delimit circular or oval spaces, there are small structures made up of three holes arranged in a triangular shape that can respond to drying rooms or granaries. Another type of larger structures have an oval hearth outside, in the central part of which sits, on a somewhat elevated base, a baked clay plate.
The period between the Final Bronze and the First Iron Age (X-VIII centuries BC) is located in the highest part of the northern area. The most significant thing in this case is the presence of a large hut of which there are more than fifty post holes. It had a rectangular plan, dimensions of 14 meters long by 5 wide and the head of a circular shape. It was oriented from northwest to southeast and had a porch in its front part, which allowed it to have an entrance sheltered from the prevailing winds in the area. In its interior no remains of soil or homes have been documented, which suggests that it would be used as a warehouse for agricultural and / or livestock surpluses or as a communal area related to collective activities for the social development of the group.
To the last period, corresponding to the Second Iron Age (XNUMXth to XNUMXst centuries BC) belong the remains of a Carpetan town and an area where industrial activities were carried out. The need for storage has been verified by various systems, mainly the wells-silos dug into the ground, of cylindrical shape and variable depth, always exceeding three meters and with a conical mouth to be covered with a lid. Some of them have pairs of legs inside them at fixed distances in order to access them. Its excavation in unstable sands and the suitability for its closure or concealment suggest that its function would be to store grain.
The only direct evidence of productive activities is the presence of a circular furnace, 1,5 m in diameter that conserved the remains of a grill and of an immediate area, where the ashes produced by the work carried out in it were thrown, which demonstrate that this oven was used intensively or for a long period of time.
Almost all the lithic industry that appeared in the La Cuesta deposit is made in flint and can be located between the Chalcolithic and the Middle Bronze. Among the retouched pieces the most abundant are sickle teeth. Small axes and polished stone tiles have also appeared, set in the first moments of the Late Bronze Age.
The ceramic remains are very abundant. The most numerous pieces, made by hand, belong to the Final Bronze, followed by ceramics with an orange-colored lathe decorated with simple and mottled painted motifs, together with those made with molds from later times. Within the metallic material stands out a flat bronze ax, of rectangular section, with the curved and slightly protruding edge attached to the Campaniform.
The most striking of the fauna are two canids (dogs) and a lagomorph (rabbit or hare) located complete and in anatomical position. In the case of the two canids, it can be seen that they were deposited tied or wrapped with vegetable fiber. Both can be placed between the Chalcolithic and the Early / Middle Bronze Age and are associated with rituals within these societies.
Regarding the human remains, on the one hand, seven isolated skulls have been documented and without the lower jaw within contexts belonging to the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age. The rest of the cases, about thirty, correspond to complete burials that are concentrated in three areas. The oldest, belonging to the Middle Bronze Age, is made up of individual burials of eight individuals, most of them adults. Only one presented trousseau, this being a very marked low-hull casserole, completely burnished and undecorated. They are usually in a fetal position with the spinal column attached to the wall of the substructure, although without any spatial arrangement. The other two areas where burials have been documented correspond to the areas where the Middle and Late Bronze Age structures are grouped. The skeletons have a fetal position and are not accompanied by trousseau except for the lagomorph, which would be used as an offering. It is also common for these burials to have an adult at the bottom and a child at a higher level.
Archaeological performance
At the beginning of the XXI century, due to the urban development of the area, an archaeological survey was carried out through prospecting and tastings of the entire area affected by Sector 13. In 2006, the total excavation of the surface of the site began, with the exception of an archaeological reserve located to the north of the intervention.