This ancient stone was placed here 25,000 years ago by unimaginably ancient hands.
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Beneath it, spreading like a verdant shadow, lies the one remaining strip of green on this side of the mountain.
Everything else lies withered by the unforgiving Andalucian July sun.
Underneath this monolith, flowers are reverently blooming like a wild floral garland laid at the feet of this place of prayer and contemplation.
The reasons for its presence here are lost in the mists of time, so the archeologists tell us and its ceremonial purposes are the subject of much debate.
Perhaps though its origins reflect the simpler times of its creation. I like to think those ancient people were thanking the mountain for the iron rich spring which blesses the ground here and has never been known to fail.
Whatever the reason, the ancestors lie close at this point and the veil between past and present is gossamer thin.
Photos: Prayer stone beneath the mountain. Courtesy of the author.