The so-called Cadimo pond began to be built 15 years ago to respond to more than 15,000 hectares of olive groves in the upper Guadalquivir basin. When the work began, the workers came across a colossal site with more than 400 archaeological sites and vestiges dating back to 8,000 years BC.
The reservoir, measuring more than seven cubic hectometres, was completed six years ago and, since then, has remained inactive due to the unrest of the irrigators. And, what is worse, with no plan in sight to recover the numerous remains found, including the crown jewel, a dolmen from the Copper Age. “Remains from all periods appeared, from the Neolithic, Prehistory, the Roman Empire, Iberians or the Middle Ages,” says Vicente Barba, one of the archaeologists who participated in the twenty excavation campaigns that were carried out before the start of construction of the dam. The pond does not have a protection and enhancement plan to turn into a place of archaeological, tourist, educational and cultural interest that can be visited.