Castro De São Marcos Or Touca Rota

Castro de S. Marcos, also known as Castro do Pópulo or Touca Rota, is located on the northeastern edge of the Alijó plateau, on a prominent elevation between the Ribeiro de Sabrosa and Vale de Cunho, tributaries of the River Tinhela. It is located in the parish of Pópulo. A fortified settlement from the Iron Age, later Romanized, it is a medium-sized settlement made up of two lines of walls, in some places 3m high. It has well-preserved sections of wall, with the unusual cyclopean device standing out. The next line of wall delimits a larger space, a platform with small stone cairns, possibly from housing structures that existed here. The interior is flattened and protected by two turrets (natural granite outcrops) to the east and west.