Santa Marta: Mining History, Museums and Traditions

Santa Marta is particularly tangible where local memory and mining history converge. The Museo Etnográfico de Santa Marta presents the defining features of local identity and important historical milestones of the town. MUGEMISA complements this cultural perspective with around 1,200 mineral and rock samples from a collection of approximately 4,000 specimens.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Santa Marta, you can review travel dates, room category and cancellation policies side by side on the offer pages. For your own planning, you can then choose between culture, mining, festivals and open rural spaces as different areas of focus.

Culture

The exhibits donated by residents to the Museo Etnográfico document local ways of living and working, as well as the community’s understanding of social life. The museum also covers the veneration of the Virgin and Saint Isidore, pilgrimages, and traditions such as those of the Quintos, home slaughtering and Carnival.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Marta is a single-nave building from the 15th century that was restored in 1985. Its main altar was carved between approximately 1762 and 1764. The Fuente del Pilar is a medieval structure that once served as a cistern and is now used as a fountain. El Tranvía was purchased in Madrid by Bartolomé Gil Santacruz, restored and donated to the town of Santa Marta; it subsequently became a town landmark.

The traditional festival Las Candelas takes place on 2 February as a competition. Groups build fires using collected pruning residues and other suitable plant material. The Romería de San Isidro takes place on 15 May at the La Dehesilla estate; it is preceded on 14 May by a pilgrimage carrying the saint from the church to the hermitage of La Dehesilla. The Ermita de la Virgen de Gracia is a whitewashed building with a distinctly popular character.

Mining

Minas de Santa Marta is designated a Lugar de Interés Científico. The area bearing this designation covers 14.14 hectares and extends across the municipalities of Santa Marta and Villalba de los Barros in Badajoz. The mining complex consists of five abandoned mines dating from the late 19th century, where lead, zinc, silver and vanadium were extracted.

The Santa Marta mining complex retains a striking hexagonal canteen, as well as the area around the shaft of the Constante mine and the furnaces. Visitors to the Minas de Santa Marta area currently explore the mining settlement and mining facilities, as well as the Museo de la Minería de Extremadura or the Museo Geológico de Santa Marta.

Experiences

MUGEMISA offers workshops on washing gold and silver, palaeontology and mineralogy. The mineralogy workshop also includes an area for blind visitors. MUGEMISA is home to the Sala Negra, an exhibition of fluorescent minerals.

The Mina Garandina offers tours inside a former vanadium mine with original galleries, mineralised veins, unusual geological formations and minerals that fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The Ruta Negra is a guided tour led by a professional guide through the mining museum, geological museum and mining settlement. The Ruta Negra + Cata also visits the mining museum, geological museum and mining settlement, ending with a tasting of locally produced artisanal products.

Open Spaces

The Dehesilla y Risco recreational area features public kiosks, a stage with a dance floor, children’s playgrounds, a fitness trail, a picnic area with barbecues, a clay pigeon shooting range and the Ermita de San Isidro. The Dehesilla y Risco estate is used for walking, jogging and cycling; family meals are also held there at weekends.

The Albergue Municipal de Santa Marta is located on the municipal La Dehesilla grounds and has a fully equipped kitchen.

Other Places

Malpartida de la Serena, Malcocinado, Fuente De Cantos, Villanueva del Fresno, Táliga, Herrera Del Duque, Risco, Villanueva De La Serena

For the overarching travel overview: Badajoz.