Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Fuentesaúco

What to see and do in Fuentesaúco (La Guareña, Zamora): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Fuentesaúco

The church of Santa María del Castillo 150 m

Towns near Fuentesaúco

Spain › Castile and León › Zamora › La Guareña › Fuentesaúco

What to see and do in Fuentesaúco

Fuentesaúco
Village
Fuentesaúco is the chief town of the La Guareña region, in south-eastern Zamora, set at 803 metres above sea level on the side of the Guareña valley. Its name combines fuente (spring) and saúco (elder), the white-flowered shrub used in medicine. The first written record dates from 1128, when Alfonso VII of León and his wife Berenguela gave the estate to the bishop of Zamora; in 1133 the bishop granted a charter to its settlers, and in 1224 Alfonso IX exempted from tax those who settled there. In the Early Modern period it depended on Toro for its vote in the Cortes, and from 1499 it was the seat of its own archpriesthood. Its church of Santa María del Castillo, from the 16th century, has been a monumento histórico-artístico (a former national heritage-protection designation) since 1973, and in July it celebrates the Visitation with espantes taurinos (a local bull-running tradition). It now has 1,593 inhabitants.
The church of Santa María del Castillo
Monument
The church of Santa María del Castillo is the most distinctive building in Fuentesaúco and its main symbol; its apsidal head recalls an old fortification of uncertain origin. It combines the late Gothic of a chapel and, above all, the late Herrerian style of the fabric, from the early 16th century, probably built over an earlier structure. The interior, with a hall-church plan and pseudo-transept, is covered by a stucco dome; the most important part of the work, from the first third of the 17th century, is due to Hernando de Nantes Navega, and its tower, with an octagonal spire, belongs to the late Baroque. Declared a historic-artistic monument in 1973, it heads a heritage completed by the church of San Juan Bautista and the hermitages of Los Dolores and de la Virgen de la Antigua.
The chickpea of Fuentesaúco
Food and drink
The chickpea of Fuentesaúco is a legume with indicación geográfica protegida (a protected geographical indication under European Union law) produced in the comarca of La Guareña, in the southeast of the province of Zamora, whose quality already enjoyed royal protection in the 16th century. The local ecotype, of the species Cicer arietinum known as macrocarpum, is undemanding to grow but also low-yielding, in clear adaptation to its area; the fruit, with a curved beak and cream colour, keeps a soft skin, a buttery texture and a pleasant flavour after cooking. A hundred dried chickpeas weigh between 35 and 50 grams. It obtained provisional recognition as an indicación geográfica protegida in 1996, definitively ratified in December 2002, and its regulatory council has since certified the quality of production in the delimited area.
The donation of Alfonso VII to the bishop
Historical milestone
The first documentary mention is from 1128, when Alfonso VII and queen Berenguela donated the territory to the bishop of Zamora; in 1133 the prelate gave a charter to the settlers and in 1224 Alfonso IX exempted them from taxes.
The espantes of La Visitación
Activity
At the beginning of July the town celebrates the Visitation with the espantes, popular bull-running festivities whose origin is placed around 1596; Semana Santa, with five confraternities, is the other great event of the local calendar.
The Los Santos fair
Activity
The November agricultural fair has been held by royal order since 1776 and remains the main commercial event of La Guareña, in a town that in 1612 received from Felipe III the title of county of la Fuente del Saúco.
The dry and irrigated farmland of Fuentesaúco
Nature
At 803 metres of altitude, the municipal district alternates dry cereal farming with the irrigated flood plains that made the chickpea possible; on that base was built a primary-sector economy with dairy and pig industry.