Puebla de Guzmán: Trails, Festivals and Mining History

The Camino del Risco runs between Puebla de Guzmán and the El Risco reservoir and begins at the Fuente El Chorrito. The moderately difficult route is four kilometres long and is suitable for hiking, cycling and horse riding.

Trails

The Camino de la Pared, also known as Vereda del Camino de Huelva, connects the centre of Puebla de Guzmán with the Rivera de la Cobica. The broad track is suitable for hiking, cycling and horse riding, has gentle slopes and little traffic. At the end of the Camino de la Pared, there are views of the Rivera de la Cobica, a tributary of the Presa del Andévalo reservoir.

The Puebla–Las Herrerías trail connects Puebla de Guzmán with Las Herrerías and is largely flat apart from slight ascents and descents. The Puebla–Las Herrerías walk begins at the Instituto and takes less than two hours there and back. Del Molino a la Fuente follows a footpath where you can see the Molino de la Horca, paths, trees and shrubs and enjoy panoramic views of the Andévalo comarca.

Landscape

The trail to Peña leads to the Cerro del Águila, which lies at more than 380 metres above sea level and has significant landscape value. La Peña offers views across the Andévalo, the foothills of the Sierra de Aracena, the coast of Huelva and Portugal. The site is used for climbing and astronomical observation.

In the area around Las Herrerías, the Corta Guadiana forms a stepped, inverted-cone landscape several dozen metres deep and several hundred metres wide; the open-pit mine is partly covered with water. In the same area, there are two open-pit sections: one next to the Guadiana shaft and another near Santa Bárbara.

History

The Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña stands on the Cerro del Águila, about four kilometres from Puebla de Guzmán, and was probably built in the 16th century. The La Santa Cruz church was built inside the Castillo de Alfayat in the 16th century.

The Convento de María Auxiliadora, also known as the Beaterio de la Orden Tercera de San Francisco de Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, was built at the beginning of the 18th century and is one of the few remaining beaterios in the province of Huelva. During the Muslim period, the Castillo de Alfayat served as a strategically important defensive stronghold and is thought to have been built between 1262 and 1298.

In 1887–1888, it was decided to build the Ferrocarril del Guadiana as a connection between the Cabezas del Pasto mine and the port of La Laja. The mining settlement of Las Herrerías comprises a district with several blocks of houses, an arcaded plaza accessed via an avenue and a parish building. Slate, iron, stone, wood, bricks and earth were used to build the settlement.

The restored La Horca windmill stands on the road towards Cabezas Rubias in a newly established recreational area. La Horca is one of the Andévalo windmills designated as open to visitors. The restored Pozo de Bebé windmill stands next to two unrestored mills on the way to the Ermita de la Peña.

You can access more destinations here: Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Cartaya, Trigueros, Linares de la Sierra, La Granada de Río-Tinto, El Granado, Ayamonte, Chucena.

Festivals

The Romería de la Virgen de la Peña takes place every year in April in honour of the Virgin of La Peña. It is classified as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía; the classification was granted by a resolution dated 14 April 1999. The Romería takes place at the Cerro del Águila.

The Bajada de la Virgen de la Peña takes place every six years on the first weekend of September. During this procession, the image is carried from the Ermita to Puebla de Guzmán. After the procession, the image is venerated in the La Santa Cruz church for around forty days; following a novena, it returns to the Ermita.

During the Romería de La Peña, numerous visitors come to Pozo Bebé to see the riders begin their ascent to La Peña. In the Las Herrerías district, the festival of Santa Bárbara is celebrated every year on 4 December in honour of the patron saint of miners. The festival includes a procession through the district and the mining area of Las Herrerías.

ANDECAB was founded in Puebla de Guzmán to revive an earlier livestock fair. The event includes a morphological and functional competition for Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses. ANDECAB’s morphological horse competition has been held since 1987 together with the August festivals and fairs of Puebla de Guzmán, apart from two editions that were cancelled because of equine plague. The Pista Hípica La Fuentecilla was built by the Ayuntamiento de Puebla de Guzmán together with the Diputación Provincial de Huelva for these activities.

Traditions

The Danza de las Espadas is an old form of artistic expression associated with the events of the Romería de la Virgen de la Peña. During the Danza de las Espadas, men hold on to the swords and use them to form moving figures.

For the Encaje de malla de Puebla de Guzmán, a mesh is first made from threads and then embroidered. Local culinary traditions include gathering, preparing and eating gurumelos and turmas. The season for gurumelos runs from January to March.

Puebla de Guzmán contains remains pointing to prehistoric origins as well as the presence of Roman and Muslim civilisations.

To the higher-level travel overview: Huelva.