Puebla de Guzmán: Holiday apartments between Peña, trails and mining history

Cerro del Águila, where the trail to Peña leads, lies more than 380 metres above sea level and has significant landscape value. From La Peña, views extend across El Andévalo, the foothills of the Sierra de Aracena, the coast of Huelva and Portugal. La Peña is also used for climbing and astronomical observation.

Other places:Santa Bárbara De Casa, Higuera De La Sierra, Cumbres Mayores, El Almendro, Fuenteheridos, Villablanca, Calañas, Gibraleón

Landscape and trails

The Camino del Risco is a route between Puebla de Guzmán and the El Risco reservoir. It begins at Fuente El Chorrito and is designed as a moderately difficult, four-kilometre route for walking, cycling and horse riding. The Camino de la Pared, also known as Vereda del Camino de Huelva, connects the town centre with the Rivera de la Cobica. The wide track follows gentle inclines and has little traffic; at its end, there are views of the Rivera de la Cobica, a tributary of the Presa del Andévalo reservoir.

The Puebla–Las Herrerías walk begins at the Instituto and takes less than two hours there and back. The Puebla–Las Herrerías route connects Puebla de Guzmán with Las Herrerías and is largely level apart from gentle ascents and descents. Another connection is the Del Molino a la Fuente footpath: along it, you can see the Molino de la Horca, paths, trees and shrubs, while panoramic views of the Andévalo comarca open up. Different route lengths, surfaces and time indications make the trails directly comparable.

Culture and faith

The Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña stands on Cerro del Águila, about four kilometres from Puebla de Guzmán, and was probably built in the 16th century. The La Santa Cruz church was built in the 16th century inside Castillo de Alfayat. During the Muslim period, the castle served as a strategically important defensive stronghold and is thought to have been built between 1262 and 1298.

The Convento de María Auxiliadora, also known as Beaterio de la Orden Tercera de San Francisco de Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, was built at the beginning of the 18th century and is one of the few surviving beaterios in the province of Huelva. The restored La Horca windmill stands on the road towards Cabezas Rubias in a newly established recreational area. It is one of the windmills of El Andévalo designated as open to visitors. The restored Pozo de Bebé windmill stands beside two unrestored mills on the path to the Ermita de la Peña.

The Romería de la Virgen de la Peña takes place every year in April in honour of the Virgin of La Peña and is celebrated on Cerro del Águila. It is classified as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía; this classification was made by a resolution dated 14 April 1999. During the Romería de La Peña, numerous visitors come to Pozo Bebé to see the riders begin their ascent to La Peña.

The Bajada de la Virgen de la Peña takes place every six years on the first weekend of September. During this procession, the image is carried from the Ermita to Puebla de Guzmán. It is then venerated for around forty days in the La Santa Cruz church before returning to the Ermita after a novena.

Mining and history

There are two open-pit excavations in the area around Las Herrerías: one beside the Guadiana shaft and another near Santa Bárbara. The Corta Guadiana forms a stepped, inverted-cone landscape there, several dozen metres deep and several hundred metres wide; the open pit is partially covered with water. The Las Herrerías mining settlement comprises a neighbourhood with several blocks of flats, an arcaded plaza reached via an avenue and a parish building. Slate, iron, stone, wood, brick and earth were used to build the settlement.

In the Las Herrerías district, the festival of Santa Bárbara is celebrated every year on 4 December in honour of the patron saint of miners. The festivities include a procession through the neighbourhood and the mining area of Las Herrerías. The Ferrocarril del Guadiana represents the historic connection between mining and transport: in 1887–1888, it was decided to build it as a connection between the Cabezas del Pasto mine and the port of La Laja.

Festivals, crafts and regional traditions

ANDECAB was established in Puebla de Guzmán to revive an earlier livestock fair. The event includes a morphological and functional competition for Pura Raza Española horses, abbreviated to PRE. The morphological horse competition has been held since 1987 together with Puebla de Guzmán’s August festivals and fairs; two editions were cancelled because of equine plague. The Pista Hípica La Fuentecilla was built by the Ayuntamiento de Puebla de Guzmán together with the Diputación Provincial de Huelva for these activities.

The Danza de las Espadas is considered an ancient form of artistic expression associated with the events of the Romería de la Virgen de la Peña. Its performance involves men grasping swords and using them to form moving figures. Local culinary traditions include gathering, preparing and eating gurumelos and turmas; January to March is considered gurumelo season. For the Encaje de malla de Puebla de Guzmán, a mesh is first made from threads and then embroidered.

Puebla de Guzmán contains remains indicating prehistoric origins as well as the presence of Roman and Muslim civilisations.

To the main travel overview: Huelva.