5 (VERY CRAZY) FUN FACTS ABOUT STONE

EXTREMADURA IS A HIDDEN PEARL

ROMAN HERITAGE ON THE VIA DE LA PLATA ROUTE

Published On: August 5th, 2025

Rbuilt from authentic rocks; architecture made without the help of architects; a ruined church that rose from its ashes; mines dug 4,000 years ago with rudimentary tools and a magical cave turned into a Christian temple. Today, on Cultural Routes of Spain, it's time to talk about minerals, magic, geology and extraordinary places.

Stone Rivers of Orihuela del Tremedal (Teruel, Aragón)

Cultural Route of Spain to which it belongs: The Way of El Cid

Where is: In the pine forests surrounding the village of Orihuela del Tremedal (Teruel), on the way to the highest point of the Camino del Cid, the Puerto de Noguera at 1,695 metres above sea level.

What is it? Literally: a river of stone which, in some places, is so wide (up to 250 metres) that it resembles a lagoon. To find an explanation, one must travel back to the colder phases of the Quaternary period, which began 2.6 million years ago, when large stone blocks fractured into smaller pieces (like those that can be seen today) as a consequence of frequent periods of freezing and thawing. The steep slopes and blocks of ice ‘channelled’ these rock fragments towards specific locations where, after centuries upon centuries of geological action and fragment accumulation, the so-called stone rivers formed.

A place to see it: From the same road that leads from Orihuela to the port, it is possible to come across several, although one of the most spectacular is found on the ascent to the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Tremedal. It is the viewpoint of the Rio de Piedra del Borrocal de Tremedal, a few metres after the road leaves its southern course and heads west.

2. El Coto de las Canteras de Osuna (Seville, Andalusia)

Cultural Route of Spain to which it belongs: Paths of Passion

Where is: On the outskirts of the Sevillian town of Osuna, to the northeast, on a height from which the town is watched and, further south, the relief of the Subbetic mountains. It is a 20-minute walk (with a slight incline) from the town centre.

What is it? A work of art created by artists who didn't know they were artists; a work of architecture created by architects who also didn't know they were architects. For centuries, this limestone sandstone millstone served as a quarry for the construction of Osuna. In other words, before Osuna was Osuna (and filled with palaces, churches, and houses), the town already existed, enclosed within this quarry. It is known that the Turdetani (a pre-Roman people who inhabited the area between 500 and 2000 BC) quarried stone from this site, which remained in operation until the 1960s.

What is there to see? As much as you can: however, it's advisable to check the opening times and take advantage of the early hours of the day to avoid the heat. You shouldn't miss the tunnels, the chambers (as big as a church), the artificial valleys created in the open air, the belongings and tools used by the stonemasons to quarry the stone, the ruined hermitage on the Via Sacra a few metres further on, the rock-hewn tombs next to it... Added to this are the carved reliefs and sculptures that contribute to giving the place an atmosphere of fantasy, more suited to a sword and sorcery film than to a place that has reached our era.

3. Church of San Pedro Cultural in Becerril de Campos (Palencia, Castilla y León)

Cultural Route of Spain to which it belongs: The Emperor Charles V's Routes

Where is: It's simple to explain the landscape of the Spanish region of Tierra de Campos (Palencia) to someone who has never been there: it's like an ocean, but instead of saltwater, it has grain. Depending on the time of year, the ocean will be dressed in ochre colours (in autumn, with the bare earth), intense green (in the final stretch of winter, with shoots emerging), muted green (in spring, with the grain already grown and the ears of corn looking a bit wild) or the yellow of summer.

Why get to know them Emperor Charles V passed through here at various times in his life, crossing the Castilian plateau with his retinue on what must have been some of the toughest stages of his journeys through Spain: in both the cold and warm months, these lands without forests or mountains can become terribly demanding. Becerril de Campos is one of the villages that float in this ocean. Were it not for the towers of its churches, the place could go unnoticed because there are no hills here, no castles, the landscape is as flat as a calm sea. What ‘stone’ curiosity can a place like this hide?

What to see Nothing more and nothing less than a dead and resurrected church. Very much dead (closed in the 1940s and on the verge of complete collapse at the beginning of this century) and very much resurrected: the church of San Pedro is, nowadays, an astonishing cultural centre, an ‘open-air building’ with an astronomy classroom. It still conserves Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance elements, of course, but they are now at the service of a living building with an intense cultural life (hence the importance of soaking up its schedule of concerts or astronomical activities) and a spectacular capacity for creating atmospheres through lighting.

4. Aramo Mines in the Council of Riosa (Asturias)

Cultural Route of Spain to which it belongs: Vía de la Plata Route

Where is: Fifty kilometres from the Cantabrian Sea (and from Gijón, the spearhead of the Vía de la Plata Route) stands a large mountain range that reaches over 1,700 metres in height, the Aramo. In the lands of the municipality of Riosa, nestled within the folds of the sierra, lie mines that were exploited from Prehistory (from the year 2,000 BC) until practically our own time: the Texéu mines. While many outsiders may not know the sierra, they will know one of its most iconic roads (narrow and steep, but a road nonetheless): the one leading to the Angliru peak, a mythical mountain climb of the Vuelta Ciclista a España (Tour of Spain).

What are Asturias is one of Spain's quintessential mining territories, a province with numerous industrial ruins from past operations, and several mines still in operation. In the case of Texéu, mining activity in the area has been documented since Prehistory, as evidenced by human remains (of ancient miners) and the tools they used (hammers, picks, crucibles...) found in the 20th century, which our ancestors used to extract copper from the depths of the mountain.

What to see: Whatever each person fancies, depending on their energy levels, physical aptitudes, and the day's weather conditions. The adventure begins in the heart of Llamo, an ideal spot to leave the car and continue on foot or, with adequate physical preparation, by mountain bike. After a twenty-minute walk (uphill and steep), you'll reach the mining village (abandoned but restored) of Rioseco, which served the mines. The area has been recovered, lovingly improved (its walkway-viewpoint is the best proof of this), and explained with numerous panels.

Any more? Now then: you’ll need hiking boots to climb up to Campa Les Mines and, more specifically, to El Socavón (on the 4th floor), the most striking and oldest part of this mining site: a cluster of half a dozen cavities excavated in a primitive and almost organic manner (another perfect example of what architecture without architects and design without designers can achieve) which provide access to the chambers where the remains of nearly thirty Neolithic copper prospectors were found.

5. Ojo Guareña Caves in Cueva (Burgos, Castile and León)

Cultural Route of Spain to which it belongs: Prehistoric Rock Art Trails

Where is: Inside a bite taken out of a mountain, in the north of the province of Burgos, in the merindad of Sotoscueva, very close to the Ebro reservoir (the longest river in Spain) and on the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains.

What is it: Many things. The most striking is undoubtedly its size: this karst complex, carved by the incessant action of the Guareña and Trema rivers, is made up of more than 110 kilometres of galleries spread across six different levels, making it the second largest in Spain.

Any more? Miles of kilometres of caves have obviously served many purposes throughout their history: they have been a sanctuary since Palaeolithic times, a place of worship and an artistic canvas in Prehistory, and, closer to our own time, a Christian church and even a town hall meeting room. It is one of the sites of so-called Magical Spain (an esoteric, mythical, mysterious, hidden, and undecipherable Spain) and is a joint work of Nature and human hands.

What to see The most striking part of this cave system is, without a doubt, the rock-hewn chapel of San Bernabé, which houses a 13th-century carving of Saint Tirso, a natural vault decorated with 18th-century paintings (depicting the torments suffered by Saint Tirso) by an anonymous artist, and some curious basins which, according to tradition, were filled with miraculous water.

Is that all? No. Very close by is the Palomera Cave, which is quite different in character, as it has hardly been touched by human hands: almost everything you see there is the work of nature over thousands of years. This is why a visit to Palomera is closer to caving than to cultural tourism: the tours, depending on the option chosen, last 2 or 4 hours and take place under very specific conditions: maximum temperatures of 9°C, a damp environment and a complete lack of lighting (headlamps are provided). All of this helps to make the visit a unique experience, as you venture deep into the bowels of the mountain, exploring the various caverns: Edelweiss, the Main Gallery, the Sima Dolencias, the Cacique Chamber and the Wax Museum Chamber.

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