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Enjoy a video about Zufre!
The centre of the village of Zufre, a fortification dating back to the Moslem period, is one of the most attractive set of monuments in the whole “Sierra”. Worth highlighting are the parts where you can trace the Arabic origins along narrow streets and patios and a succession of squares of enormous charm. There are numerous examples of the popular mountain village architecture and of architecture of the cultured classes, this latter bearing witness to its prosperous past.
This historic centre was recognized officially in 2002 as a Cultural asset and given the qualification of Set of Historic Monuments, because of the well-conserved urban fabric of Moslem origin and to its house types, so classically typical of the common people of the area. For more information:
http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/CCAA/an-d19-2002.html
The TownHall
Parish Church of the La Purísima ConcepciónThis was built over the site of the old Mosque. First of all there was a Gothic-Mudejar temple built there, of which a chapel remains and one side wall with a pointed arch in a primitive style. The present Renaissance-style church was built in the 16th century. The main retable is of Flamboyant Gothic origin.
There are remains of the former “Almohade” fortress which goes back to the 12th and 13th century, which consist of the resored “Torre de la Harina” (“Flour Tower”). There are still separate bits of the old walls, which together make up about 300m in all. Some of the fortifications with the merlons and crenels of their parapets became excellent look-out points in the 18th century, giving views over the whole valley. Such is the case of those in the “Calle Carnicería” (“The Butcher’s Street).
The Bull RingThis is an interesting building, used for the first time and built by the Portuguese master Domingo Alfonso de Amorín. This may be visited with prior permission of the Town Hall. There are splendid views from the high parts of the stands.
The Shrine of “Nuestra Señora del Puerto” (Our Lady of the Mountain Pass)This is situated 13 km away from the village. There are diaphragm arches inspired by 16th century Mudéjar architecture. The porticoed atrium, in keeping with the simple surroundings, was erected in that century.
The highly-venerated image of the patron saint is found within the shrine. Once a year the Virgin makes a pilgrimage on the shoulders of the village lads and travels the 13km to Zufre parish church. These special twice- yearly Saint’s Day outings, one in Spring and the other in summer, form what is one of the most emblematic and entertaining attractions of the village, in a tradition that can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. The church has a shrine within it, which van be vidsited the whole year round.
La ermita de Santa ZitaThis is just outside the villaje. It is well-worth visiting and you can do that by asking for the key in the Town Hall. With a Mudejar structure, it has semicircular depressed
arches from the 15th century, except for the triumph arch, which is pointed.
The shrine of the “Vígen del Prado” (Virgin of the Meadow) is the patrón saint of the Sierra fig crops, in spite of being in the borough boundaries of Zufre and can be viewed at week-ends. This is a place of pilgrimage for those inhabitants of Higuera de la Sierra ( a small village not far from Zufre). The shrine is near the N-433 and can be accessed by a path which starts at the large farmstead known as “La Zarzuela”. It is 16th century Mudejar and has undergone a number of renovations and restorations.
Humilladero de San sebastianHumilladero de San Sebastián (Small shrine for penitence and religious devotions)
(Eighteenth century), situated in the high part of the town (on the old road to Higuera). This is an old cemetery chapel, which has an unusual doorway of foliated arches, a design inspired by Islamic architecture.
There are a good number of manor-type buildings, such as the former “Hospital de San Miguel” (St. Michael’s Hospital), dating from the fifteenth century. Nowadays, this is run as a centre for rural tourism, catering for large partie.
There are elements of great symbolic significance and which have a good deal of character, such as the many fountains, watering places for animals and public washing areas. Some of these are very attractive indeed. To get to know what it is that makes this village so charming, you really have to take a trip through its water-based heritage.
Apart from the “Fuente del Concejo” (Municipal Fountain), already mentioned here, the “Pilar de la Lapa” or “Lavadero de los Linares” could be highlighted as worth seeing, just as you come into the village, behind Calle Linares (Linares Street). It is one of the most attractive washing areas in the Sierra, both for how it is made and for its location, which has panoramic views. There are humbler public washing points, such as the “Pilas de las Clases”, “El Pilar del Charquillo” , “El Pilarito” and the small laundry area known as “Las Pilas” (A “pila” is a sink, often of stone, used for washing clothes).
The Tourist Information Office: Phone +34 959 198 177. It organizes hikes and other nature-based activities and also helps visitors find rural tourism accommodation.
These three places are all also bars and offer the most delicious mountain food, where Iberian pork is the central theme. Ham, game, goat cheese and high-quality toadstools from the area when in season, are all present.
The forest cover. The relief of the area features a set of mountain ranges and hills which then allow the meandering river course of the Rivera de Huelva to take the centre stage as it turns into a lake-reservoir (the Zufre reservoir), which is the main provider of drinking water for the lower Guadalquivir area.
This reservoir is at the forefront of all that happens in the natural environment of the village. It is a major scenic landmark and an attractive spot for its natural riches as regards its fish stock (barbel (archer fish), carp, Iberian nase, black-bass), something which is recognized by the many fishing clubs which meet on and around the lake. The reservoir also offers a wide range of possibilities for water-sports along the many kilometers of river, much of which is still unexploited in this sense.
Zufre still has 30.000 hectares of forest, where what stands out most is the number of “dehesa” parklands and areas of dense tickets. Here is where there are vast areas of licensed game areas, for the hunting of both larger and smaller wild game. Some of these areas are public hunting zones.
The meandering stretch of the Rivera de Huelva between the Aracena dam and the end of the Zufre reservoir is consistently rich in environmental terms, especially as regards birds, fish and amphibians.
This “dehesa” is what brings together the “Green Corridor” of the Guadiamar River and the Natural Park. That being so, the Environment Council plans to make a route through this area, making it accessible to the general public. At the same time, this will be a project to recover megalithic remains present in these parts.
The Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park is right at the north of the province of Huelva. Within its boundaries there are 186.000 hectares and 29 villages, making the area the second largest in Andalusia. It is the ideal place for a host of cultural activities as well as to indulge in an open-air lifestyle or to enjoy a variety of sports.
It has a number of special features in its climate, with abundant rainfall coming from the special geographical situation of the mountain ranges and their orientation. That means there is verdant vegetation with holm oaks, cork oaks and Portuguese oaks, along with chestnut Woods. These make this area one of the most extensive and best conserved woodland areas in the Mediterranean region.
This large surface area has made it possible to conserve a great number of varied fauna, including the lynx, the beaver, the mountain cat, the Egyptian mongoose, the pole-cat , the stone marten and the genet, apart from a wide variety of birds of prey, such as the short-toed eagle, the golden eagle, the booted eagle, the black vulture and the griffin vulture, the black kite, the peregrine falcon, the eagle owl, the kestrel and other unique birds, such as the black stork.
In the reservoirs you can find diving species such as the cormorant, the great crested grebe and the red-crested pochard. Black bass, perch, barbel and other fish native to the area such as the ”jarabugo”- Anaecypris hispanica ”pardilla” (Rutilus lemmingii )and ”lamprehuela” Cobitis calderoni.
Hunting has traditionally been an important means of earning income in the park and the main species that are sought after are deer, wild-boar, rabbit, partridge, using different types of method such as with dogs, beating or driving, spot and stalk, stand hunting, etc.
More information on: www.sierradearacena.com
And in "Guía Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, Recorrido natural y cultural" Authors: Antonio Fajardo de la Fuente. Amalia Tarín Alcalá-Zamora and Miguel Angel Marín Gallardo. Published by Miguel Angel Marín.
These are many and varied. Once more we refer you to the following book: "Guía Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, Recorrido natural y cultural" Authors: Antonio Fajardo de la Fuente. Amalia Tarín Alcalá-Zamora and Miguel Ángel Marín Gallardo. Published by Miguel Ángel Marín.
We will highlight some of these villages, but that doesn’t mean the rest are not just as worthy of your attention.
AracenaRight at the heart of the mountain range (“Sierra”), it is 35 km from Zufre and the capital of the park. Aracena is a place traditionally visited by tourists, thanks to the famous “Gruta de las Maravillas “(Grotto of Wonders).
This is one of the most beautiful and impressive caves that has been prepared for visitors (2,100 meters long in all). There are 12 halls and six lakes where stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone deposits, draperies and incredible formations which inspire visitors and artists.
There are guided visits all year round and the cares are the main visitor attraction in the whole area. Aracena also has a rich cultural and ethnographic heritage, with a cycle of celebrations and festivities that is varied and which represents the “Serrano” (mountain village) customs, an intense cultural life, wonderfully attractive natural parks, evocative hamlets rich in examples of popular architecture (fountains, public wash clothes-washing areas, mills..) an incredibly large network of sign-posted paths and a wide range of tourist services.
Recreational and sporting activities on the lake and on the River Odiel.
Its townhall is a good reference for possible doubts you may have respect of the varity of activities in the park.
Phone townhall: +34 959 126 276 / +34 959 126 250. Or check the website:
www.aracena.es
Linares de la Sierra
More information on dates, etc.
in Linares Town Hall Phone +44 959 463 72 81
We recommend the restaurant “Mesón de Linares” (book tables in advance)
AlájarIt is an enviably beautiful place, thanks to its setting and its fountains and springs. There you can find interesting popular “serrano” architecture, landscapes both natural and lived-in that are well-maintained, craft activities and popular celebrations that are full of life and variety.
Higuera de la Sierra About 11 away from Zufre, Higuera has the attraction of its Parade of the Wise Men (Three Kings), which has been gaining increasing fame. It is reckoned that about 30.000 people visit it each year.
At 9 p.m. on 5th January 16 floats come out with their respective characters, which, apart from the Three Kings and the Star of the East, represent scenes from the Old Testament. Such is the artistic merit and dramatic impact (lighting, costumes, props), that it is difficult to believe that those putting all this together are not professionals in theatre scenography, but rather groups of friends and relatives.
There is a meat-processing plant in the village where you can obtain top-quality meat and Iberian “Serrano” pork sausages.
It must be recognized that the events that are the liveliest are the “Romerías” (the Saint’s Day outings, especially those that last various days and for which one has to stay overnight in the area surrounding the “Ermitas” (shrines).
This type of festivity is becoming more and more popular; thanks to how closely it resembles the most famous of the Andalusian “Romerías”, namely “El Rocío”.
Each village has a bull-ring where bull-fights can be attended, with different masters in the art showing their skills.
Of the Saint’s Day outings of the mountain villages (there is one in each) and apart from that of Zufre, we should take note especially of “Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles” (Our Lady of the Angels) in La Peña de Arias Montano, Alájar, on the 8th of September.
Almonaster has two of the most popular celebrations in the surrounding area – the “Fiesta de la Cruz” (The Festival of the Cross) is held on the first week-end in May.
In the shrine of Santa (Saint)Eulalia, 22 km away from Almonaster and in a spot that is very near the river Zancolí, there is a “romería” (Saint’s Day outing) attended by huge crowds and which lasts two days. Highlights are the dancing and the “Fandangos” (Andalusian courtship dance), the “capeas” (amateur “bull”- fights against inoffensive animals such as calves) in the centuries-old rustic bullring, as well as other folkloric and religious events.
Aracena’s schedule of festivities is a full one, with their Carnival festival being the most popular in the area, along with that of Cortegana.
The Easter celebrations are the most significant in the mountain villages, thanks to the number of people in the groups taking part and to the amount of images taken on procession. The spectacular nature of the routes taken through the higher part of the village also contributes to the importance of the events.
Another important “romería” is that of San Mamés in Aroche, on the week-end after Pentecost, when the patron saint is taken to the Mudejar shrine of San Pedro (Saint Peter) de la Zarza. Those attending stay overnight on site.
The “Romería de San Antonio” (St. Anthony) in June in the hamlet of La Corte, in Cortegana and San Isidro Labrador in May in the shrine of that same name in Rosal de la Frontera.
The main “Fiestas del Corpus” takes place in Cumbres Mayores and last 5 days. The groups taking part in the procession are accompanied by dancers who perform a strange dance, whose origins lie centuries back in time, to the sound of the bagpipes, the drum and the castanets. At the end of this festival heifers or calves are released onto the streets of the village and are driven along the closed-off streets to the rectangular square next to the castle.
For more specific information contact the Cumbres Mayores Town Hall.
Another curious example of folklore whose roots lie in funeral tradition, is the “Danza del Pandero” (Dance of the Tambourine). It is seen in present-day popular folkloric celebrations in the village of Encinasola.
There is an unusual festival of water worship in Galaroza on the 6th of September, known as the “Fiesta de los Jarritos” (Festival of the Little Jugs). Its origin is in the testing carried out on water jugs and other sorts of pottery. Since some years back things have become a lot more “riotous “and water from many of the fountains is used to throw water over neighbors, using any type of container, but preferably buckets. Most of the action takes place in the Plaza de los Álamos and near the historic large fountain, or near the Carmen fountain.
There is a similar celebration on the 15th August in Cumbres Mayores.
At Christmas the celebration with most character in the whole district is the already-mentioned Kings’ Day (Wise Men’s) Parade in Higuera de la Sierra, on 5th January at 9 p.m. There are ancient dances which those who have studied these things say may date back to Celtic times or to those coming from Galicia to repopulate the land. These take place in the festival of the “Vírgen de la Tórtola” (Virgin of the Turtle Dove) in Hinojales on the first of May.
A popular festival that started recently, but which has been drawing much attention and interest is the Peach Festival in Nava, on the last week-end in August. It is celebrated in homage to the women and orchards of Nava. It revolves around the queens of the local fairs and an enormous punch, made with thousands of kilos of peaches donated by everyone in the village.
An interesting example of the traditional horse fair lives on in Puerto Moral, where since 1893, every first Sunday in April the saddled and draught horse fair takes place in the spot known as the Rodeo in the area around the town.
Among the fairs that have horses as the main protagonists is the Romería of Our Lady of the Mountain Pass (Nuestra Señora del Puerto), in Zufre. On the last Sunday of August the folk on horseback out on the “Romería” go round and round the shrine, as an act of thanksgiving. On returning to the village there is a race through the streets, which is a real spectacle when it begins to pass through the narrower streets. The return of the Virgin to the shrine two weeks later is also an occasion for repeating the equestrian procession, under the orders of the chief steward, who carries a symbolic flag.
The traditional slaughter of pigs (matanza del cerdo) take place in January. For many families this is a unique chance to meet up with relatives and friends and to enjoy one of the oldest traditions which has now been lost in many other parts of Spain but which is still very much alive in the villages of the Sierra.
In the mountain villages a good number of the crafts and trades of yesteryear are still represented, thanks to the presence of raw materials, along with activities related to farming, livestock and forest, which needed suitable tools.
Carpentry and wood-carving are amongst the most common activities, produced in tree heather wood, box-wood and cherry-wood, especially. Most of this is for kitchen utensils. Craftsmen of note in this skill are to be found in Almonaster, Cortelazor (José Navarro) and the hamlet of Castañuelo in Aracena.
Carpentry in Chestnut, walnut and others are in Galarroza, and this is an increasingly specialized activity. Pottery and ceramic work in Aracena, los Romeros, Cortegana.
There is still a pottery in Aracena and another in Cortegana, which keeps the pictorial technique known as “done with the spoon”.
Traditional wine jars , El Cabezuelo (Alájar)
Leatherwork gives rise to saddling, “talabartería” (where leather is crafted with metal and especially for equestrian accessories) and marroquinería (leather used in making accessories such as wallets, handbags, purses, bags, etc). Saddling is especially related to draught and saddled horses. Aroche is still an important centre for this craft.
The making of bags, belts and shoes has become one of the main activities of the new craftspeople of the Sierra.
Some traditional looms remain in Encinasola and there are new ones producing tapestries and blankets in Alájar.
Basketwork with olive twigs, wicker and other materials is an activity that takes place throughout all the mountain villages.
Cork from the cork oaks in the area, apart from being for industrial use, is employed in the production of bowls and ornamental figures and even small pieces of furniture.
Wrought-iron and crafts related to metal have been located traditionally in the most important towns, Aracena and especially Cortegana. Here are where two very specialized firms survive in the industry (frenería) of scale-making for a wide international market and in a factory making Roman scales, traditional weights used in the country in the measuring of cork and of pigs.
Craftsman-made building materials in Aroche, clay bricks made in the traditional way and cooked in kilns that are centuries old, as well as works crafted in granite.
Day Trips
Seville
Zufre is only 45 car-minutes away from Seville, so it is possible to go out to cultural and leisure activities in Seville and get back again to spend the night in Zufre.
www.sevillaguia.com
www.turismosevilla.org
Mining Park of Rio Tinto
It is 45 minutes away from Zufre. The quality of the Huelva subsoil drew a host of different peoples here, bringing about the fact that, especially in the area of Riotinto, there is a rich mineral heritage, along with the marks of the presence of the British, which is very obvious in the capital too.
For some years now NASA scientists have been doing research on the River Tinto, in the Mining Area. That is due to the fact that in its waters it seems to be very similar to the extreme conditions of life that may exist on Mars. We find the Corta Atalaya, the biggest open-pit mine in Europe here, as part of a tourist park which includes the spectacular Peña del Hierro (Rock of Iron), the Mining Museum and the train on which you can ride along the old mineral transport lines.
Central booking office:
Minig Park of Riotinto: www.parquemineroderiotinto.com
Plaza Ernest Lluch s/n, CP 21660, Minas de Riotinto
Phone: +34 959 59 00 25 Fax: +34 959 59 10 74
Info@parquemineroderiotinto.com
Parque Nacional de Doñana (Huelva)
Doñana is the most important wetland in the continent of Europe. Dunes, Mediterranean woods and beaches all converge and of special note is the sea marsh, where thousands of European and African birds winter.
Species in danger of extinction, such as the Iberian golden eagle and the Iberian lynx, live here. There are 2,700 square km of surface area, more than 120,000 hectares.
Guided visits in groups of four
Contact for booking
Turismo de Doñana (Doñana Tourism) Pone: +34 955 77 79 56
www.turismodedonana.com
turismo@infodonana.com
Playas de Huelva
(aprox a 1’30h de Zufre)
Punta Umbría
Isla Cristina
Islantilla
Punta del Moral
Isla Canela
La Antilla
Mazagón
Huelva capital and province
www.turismohuelva.org
Niebla Festival of Theatre and Dance (Huelva)
(1 hour from Zufre)
Niebla is an interesting walled city of Roman origin, in whose mediaeval castle the Theatre Festival is held. More information on:
www.diphuelva.es/contenido_basico.asp
www.castillosnet.org/programs/castillosnet.php
International Theatre festival of Mérida (Extremadura)
Zufre is about an hour away from Mérida (with its theatre festival in the famous Roman Villa). Information y bookings www.festivaldemerida.es
Portugal
It is 87 km from Zufre.
Day trips can be taken to the famous Algarve beaches and other places of interest in this country that is our next-door neighbour.
