Castro de La Coronilla (Chera): an excavated Celtiberian hillfort

An isolated residual hill

Near Chera, within the municipality of Prados Redondos, a steep, isolated hill rises roughly thirty metres above the surrounding plateau to an elevation of approximately 1,150 metres. Atop this summit stood the castro de La Coronilla, located in the Gallo River drainage basin.

Archaeological findings

Excavated by the team led by María Luisa Cerdeño between 1980 and 1986, it was one of the earliest hillforts in the comarca to have a comprehensive published excavation report (1992). It experienced two Iron Age occupation phases, separated by an abandonment period, with the initial phase dating from the 4th century BC. The domestic structures were modest, near-square in ground plan, and built against a common rear perimeter wall that served dual structural and defensive functions. Numerous grain storage silos document an economy reliant on cereal cultivation.

Regional context

A few kilometres away lies Los Rodiles, a substantially larger settlement from the same historical horizon. Both sites are discussed in the historical overview of Celtiberia.

Visiting

A clear distinction must be made: among all the Celtiberian hillforts in the Señorío, only two are genuinely prepared for visitors, El Ceremeño in Herrería and Peña Moñuz in Olmeda de Cobeta. La Coronilla has received little conditioning for the public: it is unadapted, virtually unsignposted, and what remains visible on the surface is very difficult to interpret without specialist guidance. If you visit, stay on the paths, do not climb on the walls, and do not remove anything from the ground.