This space, called by many as the end of the known world is one of the largest areas of standing stones and megalithic buildings in Europe. Visited by browsers coming from the Mediterranean Sea from c. 4000 BC, was quoted from classical antiquity by Avieno, Strabo and Pliny as a worship area dedicated to Saturn or Hercules, strong connotation of deities with the maritime world. Later, during the Islamic occupation of the Iberian Peninsula sharpened up his place of pilgrimage character and are called then “Chakrach” having very contributed to this legend of the relics of the Christian martyr St. Vincent de Zaragoza.

In fact, the Cape St. Vincent is further west, but to be further north, the Strabo map of the Iberian Peninsula is rotated in a clockwise direction, leaving the Pyrenees in a north-south line, and may have been taken as being more west. The westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and continental Europe is the Cabo da Roca, west of Sintra; the southernmost is the Punta de Tarifa, Andalusia.

Strabo says Artemidorus mentions three islands to protect docking sites that point. No part of Cape St Vincent matches this description, but on the eastern side of Ponta de Sagres there is a port (now the modern port of Sagres) with ancient structures protected by four small islets in a row (already in Cove Martinhal, so-called islets Martinhal). Strabo had stated that ship shape.

Strabo also states that Artemidorus reported that there were no temples in the sacred promontory, only stones. According to the customs, swinging stones should be rotated by visitors, one poured libation, and rotated stones to their original positions. The sacrifices were not allowed, nor the overnight stay in place, asserting that it was when the gods came. There was no water, and had to be brought by visitors.