The Sun and the Moon: double alignments in the Iberian Peninsula

One of the ideas that Lionel Sims has more fiercely advocated for is the ‘solarization of the Moon’. In summary, such a scheme indicates that, at some point in the Neolithic, a solar cult replaced a previous lunar cult. According to this scheme, such change possibly had its origin in a change of gender roles, motivated by the new productive economy based on farming. According to Lionel´s idea, such a shift had an impact on the orientation of the newly built megalithic monuments. In short, the oldest monuments most probably had mainly lunar orientations, but with a number of monuments possibly also displaying both solar and lunar orientations at the same time. One paradigmatic example of this idea would be the double orientation of Stonehenge’s axis as seen from the Heel Stone. The main axis as seen through the lower passage of the trilithons faces winter solstice sunset, while the orientation towards the window of the large Trilithon would be towards the minor lunistice. Indeed, this idea has the property of offering an anthropological explanation to some of the pressing findings of archaeoastronomy. In several conversations with Lionel, I proposed that to challenge and test such idea, it would be nice to see to what extent such a scheme could be extended to other geographic areas. In the present paper, I intend to follow this up by showing several cases of possible double lunar-solar alignments in Iberia.