Discover Cumbres Mayores: Castle, Cromlech and Holiday Apartments

Cumbres Mayores is home to a surprising cromlech in the courtyard of Sancho IV Castle, considered the only documented example to date of a megalithic monument of the cromlech type located inside a medieval fortress. Wooden walkways and paths form a visitor route around the megalithic monument. During the restoration, ten of the 40 documented menhirs were returned to their original positions in the first circle of the cromlech.

Culture and History

The Castillo-Fortaleza de Sancho IV “El Bravo” is closely linked to the history of the town: its construction is dated in Toro to 4 November 1293 and took place under a privilege granted by King Sancho IV. On 2 August 1895, it became the first National Monument in the province of Huelva to be declared by Alfonso XIII. Only the portal of the Portada del Convento de Santa Clara remains; it displays the late Gothic style of the 15th century and belonged to one of the most important monastery buildings in Cumbres Mayores. The oldest part of the Ermita Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza dates from the beginning of the 14th century.

The Iglesia Parroquial San Miguel Arcángel is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC) and was entered on 13 October 2010 in the General Catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage. The parish church also preserves the most complete American heritage currently held by the Diocese of Huelva. Another historical trace is the Puente Romano: it connected Nertóbriga with Turóbriga and helped cross the course of the Río Sillo.

Festivals and Traditions

The Danzas de Cumbres Mayores are entered in the General Catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage as an activity of ethnological interest in the category “Ritual Dances of Huelva”. The dances take place inside the parish church and in the streets; occasions include, among others, the Corpus Christi processions, religious ceremonies and the celebration of the Virgen del Amparo on 8 September.

Día de los Jarros takes place every year on 14 August. To commemorate an earlier pilgrimage to the Ermita de la Virgen de Gracia, residents throw water at one another. The chapel stood between the mountains of the Sierra Morena. Corpus Christi also includes the release of young bulls along Calle Mayor, La Portá, to the square next to Castillo de Sancho IV. The Plaza de Toros is considered one of the few atypical bullrings in Andalusia.

Trails and Landscape

On the way to Cumbres Mayores, views open up over the valleys of the Múrtigas and Sillo rivers. The Camino de las Tres Cumbres connects Cumbres de San Bartolomé, Cumbres de Enmedio and Cumbres Mayores in the Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche. Two stages of the GR-48 “Sendero Sierra Morena”, stages 3 and 4, run through the municipality of Cumbres Mayores. One stage of this long-distance trail connects Cumbres Mayores with the small mountain village of Hinojales.

The hiking trail from Cumbres de Enmedio to Cumbres Mayores begins north of Cumbres Mayores beside a viewpoint; the sign marking the start of the trail is located there. Most of the GR-48 stage is suitable for hiking, cycling and horse riding, while some sections narrow into paths and rocky terrain. A complete circuit along the Paseo de Ronda is approximately one kilometre long. Different trail types, lengths and ways of getting around can be considered separately when planning your day.

Regional Cuisine

Cumbres Mayores is known for its sausage and meat industry based on Iberian pork. Companies from the Iberian pork, bakery, wine and olive oil sectors take part in the Feria Gastronómica “Saborea Cumbres Mayores”. The Feria Gastronómica y Cultural “Saborea Cumbres Mayores” also included a traditional demonstration of butchering an Iberian pig, as well as talks about the dehesa, pig farming and the curing of Iberian ham.

The traditional snack served for the festivities of the Ermita Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza is the “Bollo Repiquiñeao”: an anise-flavoured bread shaped like a lizard and topped with a hard-boiled egg decorated in bright colours.

For a holiday apartment in Cumbres Mayores, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the offers page. This information can be read independently and adjusted to your personal plans for the days you want to travel.

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