Roman Saltworks. Puntal Stone Saltworks

About this heritage

The saltworks of A Guarda are part of the largest documented salt exploitation complex of the Roman Empire, which also includes other areas of the northwestern peninsula such as Vigo, Cangas, Oia, Viana do Castelo, and Matosiños. Salt has always been of great importance since ancient times; its history is closely linked to the economic transactions of human history, an activity that has left names such as salary. It is an essential raw material for the salt-curing industry. Thus, the discovery of the saltworks indicates the value and relevance of this area for salt production in the Roman era. In its most rudimentary form, the saltworks consist of a scraping of about two centimeters made on large stones, creating a depression where a small amount of salty water can become stagnant and, upon evaporation, precipitate the salt contained within it. This type of formation is called rupestrian. Saltworks called Salinae are those formed by a series of square-shaped basins, delimited by slabs of schist or granite, systematically arranged in rows, and formed by an impermeable clay floor, sometimes compacted with gravel, laid over a leveling preparation that may be made of slabs. Seawater entered the tanks directly with the force of the tides; then it passed from one tank to another, progressively evaporating by the action of the sun until its final crystallization. The saltworks can be found by following route PRG-160 in the O Seixal area, Camposancos I in A Armona, and Camposancos II in O Puntal.

To learn more

The saltworks of A Guarda are part of the largest documented salt exploitation complex of the Roman Empire, which also includes other areas of the northwestern peninsula such as Vigo, Cangas, Oia, Viana do Castelo, and Matosiños. In their most rudimentary form, they consist of a scraping of about two centimeters made on large stones, creating a depression where a small amount of salty water can become stagnant and, upon evaporation, precipitate the salt contained within it. This type of formation is called rupestrian. Saltworks called Salinae are those formed by a series of square-shaped basins, delimited by slabs of schist or granite, systematically arranged in rows, and formed by an impermeable clay floor, sometimes compacted with gravel, laid over a leveling preparation that may be made of slabs. Seawater entered the tanks directly with the force of the tides; then it passed from one tank to another, progressively evaporating by the action of the sun until its final crystallization. The saltwork complexes are found in different areas such as:

- O Seixal- Fonte Quentes is located on the coastline, between the towns of A Guarda and Camposancos, in an area of small cliffs, sedimentary sandy areas, and pebble and block beaches, situated at the foot of the steep slope that forms the western side of the granite elevation of Monte Santa Tegra.

- In Armona, the Camposancos II saltworks are an interesting set of saltworks somewhat away from the coast, located about 300 meters in a straight line from the current sea level. It is made up of about 20 to 30 individual saltworks, arranged in several groups.

- O Puntal, where the Camposancos II saltworks are located north of the Miño River, here more than 50 individual saltworks frequently form groups. The excavation led by Brais Currás, a researcher at the University of Coimbra, from the EST-AP research group of the CSIC within the project "A Guarda, Mar de Sal," and Mar Cortegoso, excavation director, advanced research on the saltworks of O Seixal and Camposancos.

To know it better

The A Guarda City Council, in the province of Pontevedra, has been developing a comprehensive project to recover the O Seixal Saltworks since 2015. Various excavations have been carried out in this place to discover more data about the past of this municipality. Thanks to the investigations derived from the project "A Guarda, Mar de Sal" and the students from the universities of Coimbra, Vigo, and Santiago de Compostela, ancient Roman-era saltworks have been discovered here. In them, salty water from the sea was allowed to evaporate to extract its salt, dry it, and commercialize it. The saltworks of A Guarda were an important commercial point throughout the Roman Empire era. The salt extracted from the coastal waters of ancient Gallaecia was mainly used for the production of salted fish, which was very important on the coasts of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Salt-curing is possibly one of the oldest gastronomic specialties in our country. It is a method intended to preserve food so that it remains available for consumption for a longer time. The effect of salt-curing is the partial dehydration of food, enhancement of flavor, and inhibition of some bacteria. Its origin dates back to the Bronze Age, due to the need to keep fish in optimal condition during transport and trade, which at that time could last several days. Although in most cases this method is used to salt fish, it is also suitable for preserving meat, fruits, and vegetables.