Guadalaviar – Rocky Landscape, Traditions and History

Near Guadalaviar, a continuous limestone and dolomite escarpment rises up. It is 200 to 250 metres thick and extends from northwest to southeast, with pine forests beginning above it. Parallel to the limestone formation and the San Juan escarpment lies a broad, flat-bottomed fluviokarst depression, a polje whose drainage is directed entirely towards the Tagus.

Nature

The Guadalaviar River rises on the Guadalaviar escarpment. Scots pines dominate the vegetation in the municipality. Near the town centre, visitors can also see a grazed juniper landscape with a park-like character, known as a Dehesa-Sabinar. The escarpment, depression, river source, pine forest and juniper stand offer different starting points for exploring the landscape.

Culture

The Church of Santiago el Mayor is a 17th-century building with interconnected side chapels; its tower is topped by an octagonal section. Guadalaviar also has an ethnologically remarkable bullring carved into the rock. It apparently came into being through the reconstruction of an earlier arena.

The Transhumance Museum opened in July 2001 to preserve and convey the heritage of transhumance. Traces of the pastoral tradition include the “Torrucos”: small, hemispherical stone shelters that provided protection from storms and other weather conditions.

Traditions and Cuisine

In Guadalaviar, the singing of the Mayos is preserved on the night of 30 April; the old tradition is also maintained there as a visitor attraction. During the Mayos ceremony, the Mayas are chosen by lot. The Mayos then walk through the streets and sing the corresponding verses in front of the houses of the chosen Mayas.

The patron saint festivals in honour of Santiago Apóstol and Santa Ana take place from 24 to 29 July; on 28 July, the Día del toro is a particular highlight. On 8 December, Guadalaviar celebrates the Virgen del Cubo with a large bonfire in the square.

Gazpachos is a typical dish of the regional pastoral cuisine. It is prepared with potatoes and boiled pork liver and served with thin flatbreads.

Getting Around

The PR-TE-1 trail runs from Bezas via Gea de Albarracín, Albarracín, Torres de Albarracín, Tramacastilla and Villar del Cobo to Guadalaviar. The route ends there at an altitude of over 1,600 metres and can be divided into several stages.

The final kilometre to the source of the Guadalaviar River follows a somewhat damaged track. It is therefore recommended to cover part of the route on foot. The possibility of dividing the long-distance trail into stages and the fixed dates of local traditions provide different timing considerations for planning a trip.

Other destinations at a glance: Lledó, La Cañada De Verich, Allepuz, Cella, Fortanete, El Castellar, Cretas and Terriente.

For the higher-level travel overview: Teruel.