Villages in Huelva

Almonaster la Real

Almonaster la Real is a village situated in the centre of the Natural Park of Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche, one of the most important protected areas of the Community. The park occupies the entire north of the province with its meadows and small hills covered predominantly by forests oaks, oaks, chestnut trees and undergrowth, through which run numerous streams, forming a landscape of extraordinary beauty.

Almonaster la Real limits with the neighboring municipalities of Cortegana, Jabugo, Sta. Ana la Real, Alájar, Aracena, Cerro del Andévalo, El Campillo and Zalamea.

The city centre, which is declared of Cultural Interest, is a clear example of the architecture of a core area and the old town sits at the foot of the castle, clean and well cared for, like the Church-Mosque of Our Lady of the Conception (also listed as BIC). In the same compound is the bullring, situated inside the castle. Other classified assets are the parish church of St. Martin and the Hermitage of Santa Eulalia.

The extensive lands of Almonaster show footprints and remnants of the presence of people from ancient times, as evidenced by the numerous archaeological remains located in its municipality. The origins of the city of Almonaster are Roman denoted by the capitals, shafts and a funerary altar found in the vicinity of the ruined castle that sits on some walls that are of Roman manufacture.

In the 7th century during the Visigoth period, the population belonged to a religious establishment who built the monastery basilica. Later on a Muslim mosque was to be built on the site. . Probably the current name, Almonaster, was derived from the word al-Munastir, the word used by Hispano old Christian for monasteries.

Around the first half of the thirteenth century the populations of Western Sierra Morena were recaptured by Portuguese military incursions during the reign of Don Sancho de Portugal. During the reign of Alfonso X in 1279, Almonaste,r along with Zalamea, were donated to the Mitre Archbishop of Seville in return for Puebla de Cazalla, and confirmed by Sancho IV in 1286. One might think it was due to a call for geographic and population unification according to Perez Embid Wamba (1986) as Almonaster and Zalamea has no border with Portugal.

Most of the inhabitants of the Sierra de Huelva were concentrated in the town and numerous villages. In 1333, the council intended to create Seville near the town known as Valencia. However, the project was never consolidated and the new population disappeared.

In the late sixteenth century Philip lI, to overcome the country’s economic bankruptcy, requested authorization to dispose of property of the Church. Thus, in 1579, Pope Gregory XIII granted an indulgence for which the villages of Almonaster, Zalamea and other villages were incorporated into crown lands. Philip II ceded their rights over the town of Nicolas Grinaldo, Prince of Salerno, with some debts owed to the Crown, which in turn tried to sell its jurisdiction to the Marquis de Algaba, but villagers interceded before the king to keep the village Realengo. On May 10 1583 Almonaster became Crown property, forming part of the former Kingdom of Seville and adding ‘Royal’ to its name.

Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the activity of the population relied on agriculture, livestock and forestry jobs, as well as the production of coal and slack plants. Population growth occurred from the eighteenth century that was no stranger to Almonaster, forcing villagers to plough new unfertile land and as a result there were many disputes and boundary conflicts between populations and villagers.

Around mid-eighteenth century Almonaster again loses its jurisdiction and becomes a manor town belonging to Don Gregorio del Valle Clavijo, Count of Villa Santa Ana and again back to regain its jurisdiction in 1792, after a long fight with that count resulting in 22,000 ducats to be deposited into the coffers of the Crown.

From the second half of the Nineteenth Century the population and land of Almonaster saw an important economic transformation with the development of mining activities based on the exploitation of copper and manganese. This increased the population and created many towns and villages. The burgeoning activity reached its peak in the1920’s, and resulted in conflicts with ranchers and farmers, because of the poisoning of rivers and occupied lands. But the vicissitudes of the international market forced the closure of mines in order to get the product cheaper in other countries.

Almonaster has now returned to its beginnings as a rural town that bases its economy on agriculture.

Almonaster la Real Monuments

Castle
Mosque
Bullring
Cueva de la Mora
Hermitage del Señor
Hermitage of the Trinity
Fountain of the Concejo
Parish Church of St. Martin
Shrine of Our Lady of Conception
Santa Eulalia de Merida Hermitage
Antigua Tannery – Medieval Bridge

Manuel Vazquez Vargas Museum

Almonaster la Real Gastronomy

Meats (sausage, pepperoni, sausage, ham)
Poultry stews Migas and chorizo potatoes. Dishes of vegetables (eggplant and zucchini).

Sweets: piñonates. Pestiños.. Honey Rose (washed down with a glass of brandy. Almonaster Station).

Getting There

Exit Huelva. Take Motorway Del Quinto Centenario direction: A-49, Seville, Punta Umbria, N-431, Ayamonte. To: H-31. Take M-31. To: E-1 / A-49. Take E-1 / A-49. Take the exit towards: Exit 75, San Juan del Puerto, Trigueros. Around San Juan del Puerto, turn right: N-435 heading to Trigueros – Badajoz. Take the exit towards: Exit 75, San Juan del Puerto, Trigueros. On the outskirts of San Juan del Puerto, turn right: N-435 direction: Trigueros – Badajoz. Take: A-493. Calañas Andévalo The cross and hill, follow signs to the Royal Almonaster

Distances from Almonaster la Real

Huelva 98 km
Calañas 43 km
Aracena 27 km
Ayamonte 116 km
Trigueros 79 km
ACortegana 7.5 km
Punta Umbria 117 km
San Juan del Puerto 87 km

Almonaster la Real