Travertines in Alájar and Peña de Arias Montano

A place of rest and relaxation since time immemorial, the town nestles at the foot of a formidable rock formation. The so-called Peña de Arias Montano rises above a town with a rugged terrain that makes it the rainiest part of Huelva. A natural monument that is well worth visiting, steeped in history and symbolism.

It is called Arias Montano after the librarian, alchemist and astrologist Benito Arias Montano, a trusted person of King Philip II and great connoisseur of the mystical arts. It is thought that, attracted by the solitude and seclusion of his surroundings, the esoteric thinker and humanist retired in Alájar with the intention of meditating and expanding his vast knowledge.

Springs flow from the rocky peak and, in ancient communion with the vegetation, form beautiful travertines, a type of limestone and sedimentary origin, formed mainly by calcium carbonate.

At the highest point of the rock there is a shrine that shelters the image of the patron saint of Alájar, the Queen of Angels, an image that attracts thousands of devotees from surrounding towns in a pilgrimage every September.

Travellers shouldn't miss the set of more than thirty grottoes and caves that are scattered around the area. Only two can be visited: the Dark Palace, a curious place where the telluric forces of the stone make compasses lose their way; and the King's Chair, a place of worship where traces of pre-Roman and Bronze Age settlements have been discovered.