Santa Cruz de la Sierra: Montaña Sagrada and Cultural Heritage

In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Montaña Sagrada includes megalithic elements such as a menhir, a pseudodolmen, trilithons, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic forms. At the summit of Risco Grande, also known among locals as Risco de San Gregorio, Arab remains lie above pre-Roman remains. When choosing a vacation rental in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, you can consider these subject areas separately: architectural history, prehistoric evidence, local tradition, cultural interpretation and landscape.

Culture

The Iglesia de la Vera Cruz has a late Gothic western portal from the late 15th century with pointed archivolts, decorated capitals and a stone cross. On its façade, El Palacio preserves inscriptions and the coat of arms of the Chaves family. Three Roman steles are visible on the outer northern wall of the parish church; four more are located in the Plaza Mayor. On the outskirts of Santa Cruz, on the road to Herguijuela, the Vettón boar statue can be seen.

Those whose cultural focus is on buildings will find different historical traces in the townscape in the western portal, El Palacio and the Roman steles. The Tercer Risco and Montaña Sagrada, by contrast, shift the focus to prehistoric forms and sanctuaries. This allows architectural and archaeological topics to be explored separately without conflating them.

The Tercer Risco is a prehistoric sanctuary on the southern slope of Montaña Sagrada. The sanctuary at Tercer Risco contains rock footprints, cupules and anthropomorphic stone forms.

Event

The Noche de los Chozos is a local ritual that takes place every year on September 13 after nightfall in the Plaza Mayor and the adjacent areas. Its fixed date and evening start distinguish this event from the cultural and historical sites, which can be explored independently of a single event date as part of learning about the town.

Below the building in the Plaza Mayor, the Centro de Interpretación provides tourist information about Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Sierra. A free tour of the premises is also offered there. Vettonia Rutas Culturales provides cultural accompaniment through Montaña Sagrada and the town, focusing on nature, archaeology and local history. For travel planning, these services can be assigned to the areas of information, guided cultural interpretation, archaeology and nature.

Further destinations: Bohonal De Ibor, Aldeanueva Del Camino, Cuacos De Yuste, Acehuche, Grimaldo, Gargüera, Riolobos and Zarza De Granadilla.

Landscape

The Cañada Real is now largely unused as a livestock trail, but serves as a section of one of the Caminos Mozárabes to Santiago, which passes through Trujillo. A marked route from the Convento de los Agustinos leads through stone-paved streets, past channels carved into granite and along paved paths up the slope of the Sierra de Santa Cruz.

The plains with pastureland and dryland farming extending from Santa Cruz de la Sierra toward Ibahernando, Ruanes and Trujillo belong to the ZEPA Llanos de Trujillo. In the plains of the Llanos de Trujillo extending from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the great bustard, little bustard, Montagu’s harrier, European roller, Thekla’s lark and calandra lark are among the species that can be easily observed.

For the broader travel overview: Cáceres.