Folklore Preserves Prehistoric Secrets Better Than Archaeology, Says Expert

Dr. Martín Almagro, a professor of prehistory, will explain how popular traditions preserve vital information about prehistoric humans during a talk on Monday at 7pm in the Sergi Mas hall in Sant Julià de Lòria.

Speaking ahead of his presentation on "Sacred Landscapes of the Pyrenees" as part of the Jornades de Bruixeria, Almagro emphasised that folklore traditions hold more insights into early humans than archaeological remains alone. "We associate prehistory with material culture from excavations, but popular traditions conserve the greatest information that exists about prehistoric man," he said. These living monuments, he noted, date back to the Palaeolithic and endure into the 21st century.

Almagro highlighted how ancient people interpreted landscapes through myths, attributing personality and life to mountains and natural features, as they lacked modern geography or science but relied on reason. The Pyrenees, as highland areas, act as environmental and cultural islands that preserve traditions better than lowland regions prone to rapid change. "The Pyrenees are authentic archives of our humanity's past," he stated.

He cited examples such as the Nit de Sant Joan, a Celtic-linked summer solstice celebration tied to the sun's power and hearth fires, rooted in historical beliefs. Other instances include stones in the Maladeta said to be sheep transformed by a curse; a rock in Luchon where women rubbed their bellies for fertility; and the Betato forest, a beech grove believed to house witches—what modern observers might attribute to eerie light effects or isolation.

Understanding these traditions, Almagro argued, enriches one's view of the landscape, revealing poetic myths behind everyday features and treating heritage as a "diamond" rather than a mere stone. They also connect contemporary beliefs to shared Homo sapiens roots, underscoring fundamental human similarities. He drew a parallel to childhood development, where critical thinking emerges around age seven, mirroring humanity's historical shift—a process still incomplete today amid current global challenges.