Garciaz between Pilgrim Route, Dehesa and History

Garciaz lies on the Camino de los Descubridores, a historic pilgrimage route to Guadalupe. Part of the Garciaz area lies within the Site of Community Importance “L.I.C. Sierra de Cabeza del Águila”.

Culture

In the highest part of Garciaz stands the Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apóstol, considered the town’s most important monument. It preserves a Roman altar dedicated to Mars, as well as Visigothic and early medieval remains. In 1989, it was declared a historic-artistic monument of provincial interest and a Bien de Interés Cultural.

The Ermita Visigoda de Portera dates back to approximately the 7th century AD; it was used for religious purposes at least until the 18th century. The Ermita de la Concepción was restored in 2009 and is the only surviving one of four former hermitages in the area outside Garciaz.

The Brotherhood of Charity was founded in 1574; its statutes were also approved in 1574. At present, the Cruz de Mayo is celebrated in Garciaz on the first Sunday in May with a novena, a procession and a solemn mass.

Landscape

In Garciaz, holm oaks, cork oaks, oaks and chestnut trees share the land according to the ecosystems suited to them. The SL-CC 228 Ruta a Dehesa Boyal del Roble leads to the Dehesa Boyal del Roble, an oak dehesa described as the only one of its kind in the comarca.

The Ruta de las Rapaces area is considered important for observing several birds of prey, including short-toed snake eagles, booted eagles, black kites, red kites and several vultures.

Paths and Water

The PR CC-228 Entre Robles y Castaños can also be completed by bicycle or on horseback. The Embalse de Garciaz can be reached from the town via Los Perales, Las Manzanas and Burgos streets; a path then leads between olive trees to a bridge over the stream. From there, continue for approximately 3 km and take a 500 m-long turnoff to the right towards the dam wall.

For planning a day around Garciaz, it is therefore worth considering the character of each route before connecting individual destinations. The PR CC-228 Entre Robles y Castaños represents a different form of travel from the SL-CC 228 Ruta a Dehesa Boyal del Roble, while the trip to the Embalse de Garciaz is defined by its sequence of orientation points. When choosing an excursion, visitors can therefore distinguish between an activity-oriented route, a landscape destination and a clearly structured itinerary. These three patterns can be considered separately and do not need to be combined into a single circular route. The different names and route types in particular show that Garciaz offers several independent ways to access the landscape and surrounding area, without implying any ranking of the destinations.

Local

Quesería Isaborex produces goat cheese from the milk of its own livestock, which graze in the mountains.

Other Places

Other places in the same regional selection include Malpartida De Cáceres, Madrigal De La Vera, Jaraíz De La Vera, Almoharín, Tejeda De Tiétar, Monroy, Ovejuela, Pescueza.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cáceres.