More Roman ruins discovered on the Mazarron beachfront in El Alamillo
The Mayor of Mazarrón prefers to preserve the 2,000-year-old ruins alongside the new seafront promenade
The preliminary work to create a new seafront walk along the coastline of El Alamillo, in the far south-east of the municipality of Mazarrón, has resulted in the discovery of new Roman ruins which are believed to have formed part of the same complex as the villa which was unearthed in the 1980s and early 1990s, and in consequence the Town Hall has instigated further archaeological investigation.
It is believed that the villa of which remnants have already been found was built in the first three centuries AD. It was a centre for the manufacture of salted fish products, possibly including a fish farm: among the structures found are a sizeable pool and heated structures which could have been either an oven or a thermal bath facility.
Ginés Campillo, the Mayor of Mazarrón, Ginés Campillo, visited the site this week and restated his view that “we are no longer in the 1980s” and that the policy of covering up archaeological remains in the name of progress must be rejected. Rather, he believes that the preservation of Roman remains will enhance the planned promenade and the tourist attractions of the area, a view reiterated by Councillor Jorge Durán and the archaeologists overseeing excavations, Carmen Martínez Mañogil and Alfredo Porrúa Martínez.
In the event of their ideas coming to fruition, when it is completed the new seafront walk in El Alamillo will take people alongside the remains of a 2,000-year-old villa complex dating back to shortly after the life of Christ. They will be able to appreciate both the relatively opulent main residential area and the more industrial area, which was devoted to making sure that the establishment was economically viable and able to export products throughout the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean.
These products undoubtedly included the highly prized (and highly priced!) “garum” sauce which is known to have been exported from south-western Spain to Rome itself.
Nearby, visitors interested in local history can also admire the old aqueduct (Acueducto del Arco) and various other remains which were found during the tourism construction boom in El Alamillo in the late 20th century.
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