'10-Camino - Provincia Burgos

One is not mistaken in calling the province of Burgos the 'cradle of Europe.' It is no coincidence that in the world-famous archaeological sites of the Atapuerca mountain range, the remains of Homo antecessor, the oldest humans in Europe, were discovered. Inhabited since the dawn of humanity, Burgos also features Roman ruins at Clunia (Coruña del Conde), where a theater with a capacity of nine thousand seats stands out. This land has also witnessed historically significant events such as the birth of Castile, the adventures of El Cid Campeador which gave rise to the first epic poem in the Castilian language, and the passage of the Camino de Santiago, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to the bridges and roads built by Saint John of Ortega, a son of this land, to facilitate pilgrims' journeys, unprecedented architectural and artistic styles flourished in the region. The Romanesque Route is a good example, with monasteries like Oña, Cardeña, San Pedro de Arlanza, and Santo Domingo de Silos, as well as the Gothic style of the impressive Burgos Cathedral or the Las Huelgas Convent in the same city. Added to this are the castles of Olmos Albos and Olmillos de Sasamón, and medieval towns like Frias, dominated by its castle, with houses built into the rock, offering an unparalleled landscape of beauty. Regarding natural heritage, Mount Santiago, bordering Álava and Vizcaya, offers beautiful mountain landscapes with its oak groves and Mirbeck oak forests at low altitude, and its pine and beech forests higher up, where one can also encounter vultures, wild boars, martens, and wild cats, among others. The Ebro Canyon in the northeast of the province, reaching depths of 200 meters in some areas, the beech forests of Angulo hiding the fabulous Peñaladros waterfall, the spectacular Nervión waterfalls bordering the Basque Country, and the caves and limestone formations of Ojo Guareña are further examples demonstrating that the landscape of this province of Burgos is not limited to the stereotypical image of endless cereal fields. The gastronomic richness of this land takes shape with typical dishes like Burgos soup with meat and crayfish tails, red beans from Ibeas de Juarros, beef from Las Merindades, milk-fed lamb from Aranda de Duero, the famous sausages from Villarcayo, Burgos black pudding, and fresh sheep cheese. All accompanied by the delicious wines with the Denomination of Origin Ribera del Duero. Traditional festivals of obscure origin like the Colacho in Castrillo de Murcia, where a man dressed in a loud costume jumps over children lying on mattresses to protect them from misfortune, join deeply religious festivities such as Holy Week in the capital city with remarkable Via Crucis processions featuring the Naked Cross and the Encounter Cross. You can also witness beautiful typical dances in Poza de la Sal during the festivities, when the curious and ancient dance of the escarrete is performed around roosters and rabbits, and in Frias, where four men and a woman perform the captain’s dance on Saint John’s Day. As a souvenir of your stay in this welcoming province, you can acquire typical handicrafts such as clothing made from Belorado skins or wine flasks from Burgos, along with outstanding pottery works from Aranda de Duero.