La Calera: Lime Kilns, Church and Sierra Landscape

Where the Sierra de la Palomera and the Sierra de la Brama de Guadalupe merge, La Calera is situated. The village is regarded as one of the notable places in the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara area and lies away from the main routes. Its name derives from nearby limestone deposits; the settlement developed in connection with mining work.

For travel planning, landscape and cultural history can be considered as distinct perspectives. You can view the landscape, craftsmanship, church and festival traditions as separate focal points and arrange the order according to your personal interests.

Culture and History

The largest group of lime kilns is located in Era de los Madroñales, a few hundred metres from La Calera. This group comprises a total of five lime kilns. There are two further lime kilns in Los Regajales, known as the Hornos de la Caleruela. The operation of the lime kilns is characterised by highly traditional craftsmanship.

The Iglesia Virgen de los Dolores in La Calera was probably built in the 15th or 16th century. The church has a granite baptismal font.

An audiovisual programme about the geopark and the lime kilns of La Calera is shown in the centre. The Centro de Interpretación Hornos de la Calera also explains the historical importance of lime processing for the local population in an interactive and accessible way.

The Centro de Interpretación Hornos de la Calera is located on the road from Alía to La Calera, at the entrance to La Calera. It is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The Centro de Interpretación Hornos de la Calera does not have its own car park; however, parking is available in the immediate vicinity.

For your planning, mining work, traditional lime processing, sacred history and local festival traditions can be considered as distinct cultural focal points. Audiovisual and interactive interpretation can also be viewed as different ways of exploring the subject.

The various local references create a clear thematic progression: the two mountain ranges define the landscape framework, the lime kilns represent the history of local labour, and the church and festival calendar complement this perspective with religious and communal traditions. The audiovisual programme and interactive interpretation provide additional, separate approaches to the history of lime processing. This allows the different facets of the village to be experienced separately, without reducing the landscape, craftsmanship, sacred architecture and festival culture to a single theme.

Festivals and Traditions

The celebrations in La Calera include processions and social gatherings. The patron-saint festivities include popular festivals, games and various cultural activities; processions and social gatherings are also part of them. The patron-saint festivities are open to everyone who wishes to take part.

This information provides an objective framework for your booking decision, while you choose the thematic focus of your stay from among landscape, history, culture and festivals.

Holy Week is observed in a special way in La Calera; the patron-saint festivities take place there in this context.

For the overarching travel overview: Alía.