Calañas: History, Mining Culture and Fandangos

Calañas can best be discovered through its visible history. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Gracia already has origins dating from the late 15th or early 16th century and looks back on more than five centuries of history. It is located in the old town at the highest point of the settlement and is therefore visible from every point in the municipality. The building combines elements of Gothic Mudéjar, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

When searching for holiday accommodation in Calañas, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies and consider for your own travel planning which cultural, trail-related and festival themes interest you most.

Other places: Corterrangel, El Granado, Linares De La Sierra, El Cerro De Andévalo, Punta Umbría, El Almendro, Lucena Del Puerto, Villablanca

Culture

The Mercado Municipal de Abastos is an eclectic building that combines Andalusian regionalism with rationalist features. It was created in 1927 as a work by José María Pérez Carasa. The building is regarded as a distinctive and, within its typology, unique example of urban market-hall architecture.

The Fandangos de Calañas are also part of the ethnological activity “El Fandango en la provincia de Huelva”, which is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC). The local tradition includes two forms: one usually performed by a chorus and more suitable for dancing, and a slower form for individual singing; both are accompanied by the guitar.

Mining and Trails

The Ruta de los Molinos del Río Odiel is a hiking trail that connects historic watermills with the geology of Calañas’s mining landscape. It runs upstream along the Río Odiel from Sotiel Coronada to the Revuelta de la Llave and passes grain mills belonging to the Villa de Calañas. Along the Río Odiel are grain mills that were powered by the river’s water for hundreds of years. For personal planning, the mill trail and mining history can be compared as different thematic focuses.

The Ruta Turística La Torera takes visitors to the former mining settlement, its facilities and the natural landscape surrounding it. La Torerera preserves the remains of the facilities around the mine shaft, offices, the director’s house, houses for senior employees, the chapel, the casino, as well as workshops and storage areas at the underground factory galleries. From around 1911, a pyrite mine was investigated in La Torerera; after a brief operating phase from 1925 to 1931, an underground explosives factory was later established there and remained in operation until 1973.

Festivals

The Romería de Ntra. Sra. de la Coronada is Calañas’s most important festival. The celebrations begin on Easter Sunday and end two Sundays later, after 14 days of festivities. On Easter Monday, the Romería de Ntra. Sra. de la Coronada follows a pilgrimage route from Calañas to the sanctuary in Sotiel Coronada, which is approximately eight kilometres away.

Places to Visit

The Ermita de los Santos Mártires has been rehabilitated as a centre for tourist interpretation and cultural exhibitions in Calañas. The site has public toilets and has been made accessible to visitors.

For the broader travel overview: Huelva.