Torrecillas De La Tiesa – History, Nature and Birdwatching Routes

Puente del Cardenal is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Monument category in the municipalities of Jaraicejo and Torrecillas de la Tiesa in Cáceres. The old royal road that connected Madrid and Toledo with Extremadura and Portugal via Trujillo crossed Puente del Cardenal. The original Puente del Cardenal was built in 1440 by Pedro González after being promoted by Bishop Juan de Carvajal.

Culture

The parish church of Santa Catalina is a modest Renaissance building made of plastered masonry. Its single-nave interior consists of five sections separated by transverse arches. The pillory of Torrecillas de la Tiesa stands on a round platform with four steps. It has two consoles decorated with volutes, bearing two oval coats of arms mounted on cut-out leather.

Filigree goldsmithing is produced in Torrecillas de la Tiesa, including earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The patron saint of Torrecillas de la Tiesa is the Virgen de los Remedios, who is also known as the Virgen de las Tres Manos. Excavations carried out between 1985 and 1988 uncovered abundant Iberian pottery with red lines, as well as several Iberian falcatas. The cultural traces therefore range from Renaissance architecture and historic coats of arms to traditional crafts and archaeological finds.

Nature

The native Mediterranean evergreen vegetation in Torrecillas de la Tiesa is characterized by holm oaks and cork oaks. The River Almonte runs through the municipality.

On the Ruta del Buitre Negro, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, cinereous vultures, lesser spotted eagles, short-toed snake eagles and even golden eagles can be observed. Along the Ruta de las Avutardas, the area around ponds and streams offers opportunities to observe steppe birds, lesser kestrels, vultures and black storks. After a 15-kilometre stretch beyond Belén, the Ruta de las Avutardas turns towards Torrecillas de la Tiesa.

Trails and Landscape

The traditional hiking route from Torrecillas de la Tiesa to Guadalupe crosses the Sierra de las Villuercas, with holm-oak and cork-oak forests, mountain ridges and river headwaters. Between El Carrascal and El Descansadero, the Gran Cañada Real Leonesa Occidental forms the boundary between the municipal areas of Trujillo and Torrecillas de la Tiesa.

The birdwatching routes and the traditional hiking route offer different views of the landscape: depending on the route, the focus is on observing birds, ponds and streams, or the forests, mountain ridges and headwaters of the Sierra de las Villuercas. The trails can be distinguished by their thematic focus: the birdwatching routes combine the observation of named species with ponds and streams, while the traditional hiking route focuses on the forests, mountain ridges and headwaters of the Sierra de las Villuercas. Nature observation and hiking thus stand alongside each other as distinct themes.

Other Places

Other places: Almoharín, Santa Ana, Herreruela, Herrera De Alcántara, Segura De Toro, San Martín De Trevejo, Eljas, Casar De Palomero

To the overarching travel overview: Cáceres.