Castillo de las Guardas, El

Municipality belonging to the Sierra Norte district, located in the north-western part of the province. Its landscape of medium-sized mountains is typical of the area, and comprises a mixture of hills, pasture land, forests of holm oaks and fields used for farming and livestock.

Its long history is evidenced by its cultural heritage, which includes dolmens, the megalith of the Dehesa de abajo, the remains of the Castle's ramparts, and the Church of San Juan Bautista.

History

The large number of remains discovered in the AREA are evidence of the presence of human settlements since Prehistoric times. The most important are the burial mound of Las Lapas and the dolmens of the Cerro de Antonio Abad are from tha.
A large number of coins dating back to the times of the Roman emperor Trajan have been discovered around the village.
During the period of Al-Andalus it was called Al-Muniat. At that time the roman military fortifications were restored, making the village famous for its strong defences in comparison with those of surrounding hamlets. It also had a mosque and other buildings which evidenced its importance.
The Christian conquest was undertaken by Ferdinand III.
It obtained its own jurisdiction in 1621, and in
1647 it received the title of Villa from Charles III.
The castle (castillo) for which the village is named was almost destroyed by Napoleon"s troops during the war of independence.