Pebble mosaic

On the shore of Guadalimar river, on the ruins of a metal workshop, the sanctuary of La Muela was built around the eighth century B.C., a sacred precinct that grouped different rooms around a courtyard, like a kitchen and a well for the offerings.

The building bears some similarity to Cypriots and Cretans sanctuaries, also with others closest located in Extremadura and Low Guadalquivir. This is considered evidence of the tartesic influence in Castulo. In all these shrines, the sacred banquet was a central ceremony in the religious rite.

The courtyard of the sanctuary of La Muela has a paved with pebble. The stones embedded in the ground make a grid of light and dark paintings, framed by a border of curved motifs. This pavement was rebuilt several times throughout the seventh century B.C.

These paved with pebbles arranged as a mosaic are known inside and outside the Peninsula. Black and white edges give the pavement a visual relief and a hardness that never would have had a simple land.