The best road cycling routes around Aldea Del Rey

In the heart of the Sierra Morena region we find the very ancient municipality of Santa Cruz de Mudela, born from the medieval repopulations carried out by King Alfonso VIII after his victory against the Almohads in Las Navas de Tolosa. 76 km from its capital, it proudly shows its most beautiful buildings to locals and strangers, among which the church of the Assumption, the palace-house of Carlos Ortega and the hermitage of the Virtues, among others, stand out.

This church, which dates back to the 17th century, preserves the typical structure of the area, maintaining an exterior uniformity that coincides with the majority of religious temples. It is worth visiting.

In the heart ✨ of the Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Massif at an altitude between 750 and 850 meters above sea level, in the term of the noble and cultural city of Almagro, delimited by the Sierra de Arzollar, the Cañada Real Soriana, between valleys and mountains with a great density of holm oaks and junipers, rosemary, thyme, etc., is the Encomienda de Cervera Estate, where you can distinguish the black earths of volcanic origin, the red ones (Almagre) which, according to some historians, give their name from the city of Almagro, the limestone and stony. Highway CM-4111

The water reserves in the Vega del Jabalón reservoir, one of the two that is already considered a dead reservoir, are practically nil. This swamp, which can store 33.54 cubic hectometres (hm3), currently has only 0.2 hm3, which is below the cubic hectometre, which is the minimum exploitation level set by the CHG.

From this point and on the hill, from afar you can observe the majestic walls that can be seen on what is called Alto de Calatrava.

In the heart of Campo de Calatrava is Valenzuela de Calatrava. It limits to the north, east and west with the city of Almagro, from which it is barely 6 kilometers away, and to the south with Granátula de Calatrava. The origin of the town is in an Arab castle built by the Almoravids in the 12th century. and a small village dedicated to horticulture. In Valenzuela de Calatrava, its gasified water fountains are famous both in public fountains and in houses.

This hermitage is believed to have been founded at the beginning of the 17th century, as a sign of the great faith and devotion of its citizens towards the Holy Trinity, demonstrated through wills, memory foundations and chaplaincies, always including the same phrase "in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons, one true God". Hermitage located on the road to Sta. Cruz de Mudela. It was run and assisted by the Trinitarian fathers, who in turn depended on the convent of the Holy Trinity in the town of Membrilla. During the 19th century it was forgotten and left in a dilapidated state. Don Santiago Julio Maldonado y Maldonado-Cisneros, law graduate, natural and resident of the town, in his will when he died on December 10, 1886, ordered that the Hermitage of the Santísima Trinidad y San Antón be rebuilt at his expense, where the mortal remains of the testate, of his deceased parents (D. Santiago Maldonado Treviño and Dª María Antonia Maldonado Cisneros), of his wife (Dª Pilar Forcallo y Morales) and other successors in the board of trustees, ordered the construction of a building immediately next to the Hermitage of San Antón (Santísima Trinidad), which will have the shape and proportions of the plan, whose building would be used as a Hospital for the poor, and the family designated by their heirs must reside in it, in order to attend to its conservation and cleaning and whose family should be natural and neighbor of the Villa.

This town is located in the valley of the Jabalón river, a tributary of the Guadiana on its left bank. In addition, its municipal term is part of the center of the province. It is characterized by having a landscape with a great presence, especially in the cool mountains of the southwest with gall oaks, pine forests and streams, and in the west, in the area known as the valley, with the presence of rebollos, strawberry trees, heather. Therefore, we will find richness and natural diversity throughout its term. In the urban nucleus is the Palacio de Clavería from the 16th century, home to the clavero, the person who guarded the keys to the Convent of Calatrava. Other religious constructions are the Church of San Jorge Mártir and the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Valle. In the town center is the Palacio de Clavería from the 16th century, home to the clavier, the person who guarded the keys to the Calatrava Convent. Other religious constructions are the Church of San Jorge Mártir and the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Valle.