Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Zarza la Mayor

What to see and do in Zarza la Mayor (Comarca de Alcántara, Cáceres): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 3 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Zarza la Mayor

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Spain › Extremadura › Cáceres › Comarca de Alcántara › Zarza la Mayor

What to see and do in Zarza la Mayor

Zarza la Mayor, frontera con Portugal
Village
1,096 inhabitants (INE 2025), 304 m altitude, 170.28 km². It is the only municipality in the Rivera de Fresnedosa inter-municipal association that borders Portugal. It was repopulated by the Order of Alcántara and received the title of villa in 1356. On June 16, 1665, the town was captured and its residents exiled during the Portuguese Restoration War; they did not return until 1668.
Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol de Zarza la Mayor
Monument
Declared a conjunto histórico-artístico in 1982 (a category in force between 1931 and 1985, today assimilated to Bien de Interés Cultural). Construction began around the 13th century; the present structure, from the 16th century, was completed in 1588.
Dolmen de la Pata de Buey
Historical milestone
Group of Iron Age dolmens linked to Vettone settlements, including the one called "Pata de Buey" (Ox Hoof). The territory also preserves two fortifications of Islamic origin, the castle of Peñafiel (formerly Racha-Rachel) and the castle of Bernardo.
Castillo de Peñafiel (Racha-Rachel)
Monument
Castle of Arab origin built in the 9th century in border territory, the most important of the four (along with Benavente, Bernardo and Peña de Fray Domingo) built during the reconquest of Alta Extremadura; it has become a symbol of Zarza la Mayor.
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Sequeros
Monument
One of the hermitages in Zarza la Mayor's municipal area, along with those of San Juan, Nuestra Señora del Castillo (among the village houses), and San Bartolomé.
Zarza la Mayor, posible Interania romana
Historical milestone
Several Roman funerary plaques suggest that Zarza la Mayor may have been the Roman town of Interania, which would have contributed to the construction of the Roman bridge of Alcántara; a Roman road linking Castile to that bridge passed through its municipal area.
El título de "la Mayor"
Historical milestone
Felipe IV granted Zarza the epithet "la Mayor" in the mid-17th century in recognition of its role in the border conflicts with Portugal.