Spain's Ancient Celtic Roundhouses

Built to withstand harsh mountain winters, these prehistoric round dwellings feature cone-shaped thatched roofs and thick stone walls. They served as shared shelters where families lived alongside their livestock for warmth.

Palloza homes trace their roots back to the Iron Age and were used in the Spanish mountains until the late 20th century. Because the winters in the Serra dos Ancares are so brutal, the animals lived on the ground floor to provide natural heat to the humans living above. This clever design created a self-sustaining ecosystem inside a single room. Today, these unique structures offer a rare glimpse into a lifestyle that has barely changed in two thousand years.