All posts by : c2o

Thermal tourism in Baños de Montemayor dates back 2,000 years to the 1st century AD. Archaeological findings show that the Columna and Arqueta hot springs, with their sulphur and sodium-rich, oligometallic waters, were first used for their therapeutic properties during this period. With an upwelling temperature of 43°C, these waters were valued not only for their therapeutic properties but also for leisure and relaxation. And the tradition has continued to this day to the point where the thermal springs are famous in our Autonomous Community and beyond. Thanks to this long-standing tradition and vast experience, the town was honoured as an Excellent Thermal Town by the Thermal Towns Section of the FEMP in 2011 and recognised as Extremadura’s First Thermal Town in 2020. All this history is faithfully reflected in #TERMARIUM “History Comes Alive”, which has been taking place on the weekend of Palm Sunday since 2015. In Baños de Montemayor, time stood still some two thousand years ago. As you walk along the streets, don’t be surprised if you see a hotel that is now a hospitium, a store that is a taberna or a restaurant that is now a caupona. Anyone who ventures into the town will encounter magicians, haruspices, and fortune-tellers offering to reveal the future. Senators and tribunes will appear, strolling with elegance and dignity alongside artisans and matrons. This is Baños de Montemayor during Roman times, when the spa was built alongside the Vía de la Plata – the very same one that continues to bring fame to the town today. Suddenly, the traveller stumbles upon the camp of the Legio X Gemina, where the steady beat of the drum and the centurion’s commands echo through the air. The bustle of the scene blends with the lively procession, joined by Iberians and Romans, locals and visitors alike, regardless of rank or status. Together, they parade through the streets to the mercatum, where the praetor delivers the proclamation that marks the beginning of #TERMARIUM. You’ll find an assortment of unusual products on sale at the mercatum as you contemplate scenes of Roman life. As the day progresses, you’ll need to eat, and the local establishments have just the thing: the “Roman Tapas Route”, a culinary experience designed to delight even the most discerning palates. As night falls, spirits will be lifted by a mesmerising fire show, culminating in a theatrical performance of Termarium – The betrayal of Galba. It’s the perfect ending to an unforgettable day, where the townspeople of Baños are the actors and actresses who perform the comedies of Terence or Plautus .

This is #TERMARIUM, the weekend when Baños de Montemayor revives its Roman heritage. Locals and visitors dress the part, bringing to life the daily routines of a provincial Roman town from the 1st century AD. But this festival that takes place on Palm Sunday weekend wouldn’t be complete without the visitors who dress up as Claudius, Agrippina, Julius Caesar, or any other Roman character to become an essential part of the #TERMARIUM experience.

Juan José

Baños de Montemayor Tourist Office

My name is Eduardo Mostazo Gracia. I live in Hervás, in the Ambroz Valley, at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, above the Tierras de Granadilla. I work as a mountain guide and lead other outdoor activities with the company Origen, Deporte y Naturaleza. I wanted to share with you some stories about the mountains in my region and neighbourhood, although there are so many hidden corners, so much history, and so much written in the landscape that I hardly know where to begin.

I was attracted to the mountains from a young age. The feeling I would get when I was up there, admiring the landscape like a great bird of prey soaring above it all, as if the more mundane issues belonged only to the lowlands, the plains, the dehesas. Not that the lowlands aren’t spectacular, beautiful, and comforting. It’s just that everything is amplified up in the mountains – the shapes, the views, the rock formations, the gorges, and their plant and animal life – making them truly impressive.

I remember as a child having fun at summer camp in Hervás like so many others. I looked up at these peaks – what we now call the “skyline” – that line where the summit meets the horizon. Specifically, I noticed the rocky outcrops of Valdeamor and Canchal de la Gallina.

I was not even 10 years old but I still remember it fondly, just like the weekends spent along the shores of the Gabriel y Galán Reservoir or swimming in the natural pools. Who would have thought that I would one day climb up to those very peaks or that I’d eventually guide people and groups to the summit or accompany them on a canoe ride down the Alagón River?

It would still be a few years from the time of that summer camp before I would climb all the neighbouring peaks of the Montes de Tras la Sierra, which separate this region from the Jerte Valley: the demanding Pinajarro, at 2,099 metres, a towering sentinel over the Ambroz Valley; the Nijarra, which appears as Canchal de la Portilla del Arenal on maps, just over 100 metres higher but seemingly so far away; Tras la Sierra Peak, modest in name but impressive at 1,916 metres; the various Camocho peaks at an elevation of around 1,800 metres, scattered across Hervás near the Portilla de Jerte and the road to Valdeamor; or the ones to the south, near Casas del Monte and Segura de Toro, where the elevations drop to barely 1,500 metres at peaks like Cerbunal, La Gama, or Risco del Fraile; and finally descending to Pitolero, at 1,350 metres, where the Montes de Tras la Sierra abruptly give way to the vast dehesas and open lands of Cabezabellosa.

But there’s more to life than high peaks. There are also unique spots on the slopes and lower hills, such as the Cerro del Búho in Cabezabellosa, with its ancient castro (fortified settlement), hermitage, and overlook; the nearby rocky outcrops where we teach climbing; and the Piedras Labradas Plain, with the remains of a Roman temple. To the north, we find the beautiful views of the mountains, valley, and glacial features from La Muela or La Cruz de Jeromo. To the west, beyond a few Salamanca peaks, we return to Tierras de Granadilla, crowned by the remote and challenging Calama, perfect for mountain biking. And if we were to paddle across the Alagón River to the other side, we could climb up the mountain again from La Pesga to Pico Blanco, Romero, or Culebro, each one with a story behind its name. If you’ve got any energy left, the Sierra de Santa Bárbara in Marchagaz awaits – a veritable botanical island.

These are all beautiful natural vantage points that should not be overlooked, especially in the high mountains, where the silence of the now-absent goats lingers, along with the timeless stories of their herders.

Eduardo Mostazo Gracia

Origen Deporte y Naturaleza

José María Gabriel y Galán was born on the morning of 28 June in Frades de la Sierra (Salamanca) to parents Narciso and Bernarda.

He was the fourth of five siblings – Enriqueta, Carlota, Baldomero, José María and Luis – born into a comfortably off family.

He studied to be a teacher, working as one in Guijuelo (1889-1892) and Piedrahita (1892-1898).

In the summer of 1891 he was invited by his uncle, Juan Antonio Rivero Galán and his wife, Natalia García Vidal to their home in Guijo de Granadilla. Desideria, their niece and a native of the nearby town of Granadilla, lived with them.

The Riveros, who owned a large estate, were unable to have children of their own, so they devoted themselves to raising and educating Desideria.

José María proposed “a personal relationship for the future” to which the beautiful Extremaduran responded “Yes, I accept”.

The courtship lasted for several years, during which the poet returned to Extremadura frequently to see his fiancée and indulge in one of his favourite pastimes: hunting.

They married on 26 January 1898 in the Church of St. Stephen in Plasencia.

At the end of October 1898, the poet gave up teaching and settled in Guijo with his wife, where he went to work in his uncle’s business.

“I married a young woman from Extremadura. I resigned from the position I held because my hobbies were all in the countryside, where my life is devoted to the cultivation of some land and the care and affection of my people”, writes the poet to Emilia Pardo Bazán.

The family grew with the births of Jesús, Juan and Esteban.

The Madrid-based Catholic weekly, La Lectura Dominical, published Adoración in April 1899.

On 30 June of that same year, his mother Bernarda died. He won the Floral Games in Salamanca with El Ama, a poem dedicated to his mother. This triumph encouraged him to continue participating in poetry contests, going on to win in Zaragoza, Murcia, Béjar and Buenos Aires (Argentina).

His first book, Poesías, published by Father Tomás Cámara, Bishop of Salamanca, was followed by Castellanas, Extremeñas and Campesinas.

Extremeñas is a unique book written in Castúo, the Spanish dialect of the poet’s adopted land.

But time was running out for our beloved Galán.

José María died at 1:20 PM on 6 January 1905. He was 34 years old. His death certificate lists the cause of death as cerebral-gastric nervous fever.

Despite his death at a young age, he left a permanent legacy in Guijo.

The house where he lived has been converted into a House-Museum. It is open to the public with free guided tours.

The annual “Gabriel y Galán” Poetry Contest featuring poems in Spanish and Castúo is now in its 39th year.

In the month of May there is a cultural week celebration that draws people from a variety of cultural disciplines to our town. It has been attended by:

• • – Novelists such as Jesús Sánchez-Adalid, Eugenio Fuentes, Luis García Jambrina, Alonso de la Torre, etc.
  • – Poets such as Álvaro Valverde, José Manuel Regalado, Daniel Casado, Álex Chico, etc.
  • – Historians such as Enrique Moradiellos, Chaves Palacios, Miguel Ángel Melón, José Hinojosa, García Carrero, etc.
  • – Theatre
  • – Music….

This year, the 32nd edition of Cultural Week will take place from 6-12 May. In the end, the poet lives on in the memory of Guijo and its people.

In the end, the poet lives on in the memory of Guijo and its people.

Juan José Barrios Sánchez

Casa-Museo “Gabriel y Galán”

The Ambroz-Cáparra region, located in the northern part of the province of Cáceres, features a wide variety of habitats, ranging from the high peaks of the western foothills of the Gredos Mountains to the fertile river plains named after the Ambroz River. Because of these altitudinal variations and the ways in which the land is used, the region has a wide range of ecosystems that support abundant birdlife. More than 250 bird species have been recorded in the region, with at least 190 species regularly present. The area serves as an important feeding and resting place for migratory birds crossing the Central System through the western Iberian Peninsula.

At the highest elevations we find well-preserved examples of oro-Mediterranean habitats, where various species of passerines breed. Among them are regionally rare birds such as the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) and the common rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis). The region is also home to several notable birds of prey, including the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Descending in altitude, these habitats transition into lush deciduous forests composed of Pyrenean oaks (Quercus pyrenaica), sweet chestnut trees (Castanea sativa), and narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia). These forests provide shelter for a wide array of woodland species, such as the European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor), and the Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), to name but a few.