Acehúche: Cheese Tradition, Festival Culture and Routes through the Dehesa

In Acehúche, the Centro de Interpretación del Queso de Cabra y las Carantoñas de Acehúche offers an interactive exhibition on the production of raw-milk goat cheese and the Las Carantoñas festival tradition.

Culture

The Centro is accessible to people with reduced mobility and offers free admission. During Las Carantoñas, men dress in animal hides, wear leather masks and hold dry branches from Acehúche or wild olive trees in their hands. The Alborá on 20 January begins with a tamborilero waking the participants in Las Carantoñas, after which the mayordomos prepare a breakfast of migas and coffee. The Feria Ibérica del Queso de Cabra is held annually in Acehúche and has been celebrated since 2004 on the weekend of Palm Sunday. 20 January and the weekend of Palm Sunday represent two different points in time for the festival traditions.

Cuisine

Queso de Acehúche is made exclusively from raw goat’s milk and animal rennet. The production area of Queso de Acehúche includes Acehúche as well as other municipalities in the Tajo-Salor-Almonte and Valle del Alagón areas. Visitors can buy Queso de Acehúche at livestock farms in the region or in local shops.

Routes

The Ruta Interurbana de Acehúche is an easy walking route that takes about 30 minutes and is 2.10 kilometres long. The Ruta Laguna Nueva, Ermita y Tumbas antropomorfas can be explored on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. The information on length, duration and means of transport allows for an objective comparison of the different routes.

Nature

The Ruta Laguna Nueva, Ermita y Tumbas antropomorfas passes through the Extremaduran Dehesa and offers views of Laguna Nueva. On the Ruta Sierra Ladronera (Acehúche-Pescueza), visitors can observe birds in the Dehesa and in the riverside vegetation near the Rivera de Fresnedosa. Different themes can be considered separately when planning: culture and cuisine alongside routes and nature observation.

History

The Ruta Interurbana de Acehúche includes the Iglesia Parroquial de San Juan Bautista, a 17th-century Baroque church on Plaza de la Iglesia. Acehúche has three hermitages: the Ermita del Cristo de la Cañada and the Ermita de Santa María are located within or near the town centre and no more than a five-minute walk from each other; the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Fátima is five kilometres from the town centre. The Ermita del Cristo de la Cañada is a simple 17th-century Baroque chapel.

When searching for a holiday apartment in Acehúche, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation policies on the respective offer pages. To choose a thematic focus, you can weigh culture and cheese against routes through the Dehesa, Laguna and riverside vegetation.

To the higher-level travel overview: Cáceres.