Fuencalderas: Sierra de Santo Domingo, Trails and Local Traditions

Fuencalderas lies on the southern slope of the protected Sierra de Santo Domingo landscape. In the village, the houses retain their former traditional appearance; the villagescape is shaped by a succession of small squares.

Nature and Trails

The significant differences in elevation within the municipality of Fuencalderas result in a great variety of forest landscapes. The Fuencalderas–San Miguel de Liso route begins in Fuencalderas on the GR 1 and follows a clearly defined footpath to the San Miguel de Liso area. On the descent along this route, the path runs outside the marked GR 1, so attention must be paid to the signage.

The Biel–San Miguel de Liso–Fuencalderas–Biel mountain biking route is 42 kilometres long, has a medium to high difficulty level and includes 493 metres of elevation gain. It passes through both San Miguel de Liso and Fuencalderas. The section near Peña del Canto, Corral de Garrén and Corral de Menterola offers beautiful views. “Los Gigantes de Fuencalderas” is one of the 14 magical, family-friendly routes in the Comarca de las Cinco Villas.

This means that different details are available for comparing the activities: the length, elevation gain and difficulty level of the mountain biking route, as well as the clearly defined course and signage of the walking route, each describe a different planning aspect.

Culture and History

In the Biel-Fuencalderas municipality, the Valcervera rock shelter documents a settlement from the Geometric Epipalaeolithic or Mesolithic, dating back approximately 7,000 years. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza is generally attributed to the 16th century and combines several architectural styles. It has a single-nave layout and is designed in the Baroque style.

In the vicinity of Fuencalderas, the Ermita de San Miguel de Liso preserves the remains of a Romanesque apse. “Romance. Maria Xuana” is a traditional secular song in Aragonese associated with Fuencalderas.

Traditions

On Whit Sunday, traditional celebrations in Fuencalderas include a pilgrimage to the Ermita de San Miguel, singing the San Miguel Gozos and distributing blessed bread rolls. In the vicinity of Fuencalderas, the Cruz de San Miguel de Eliso marks the former point reached by pilgrims, mostly from Fuencalderas, before the procession continued to the hermitage.

Traditional Holy Week in Fuencalderas includes singing the “Reloj de la Pasión”, which tells of the final days of Jesus Christ. Traditional celebrations for Saint John include a bonfire, a communal dinner and “Sanjuanarse”, in which people wash their faces at a spring near the village to renew themselves at the summer solstice. In the vicinity of Fuencalderas, the area around San Miguel de Liso includes a spring named after the saint.

Other Places

Other places include Munébrega, Casas de Esper, Farasdués, Sos Del Rey Católico, Biel, Purujosa, Murillo De Gállego and Uncastillo.

For the broader travel overview: Saragossa.