The best cycling routes around Villamayor De Calatrava

The Almodóvar del Campo Lagoon is a unique natural and geological feature located in the province of Ciudad Real, within the Campo de Calatrava region, famous for its volcanic landscapes. It is a lagoon formed in the crater of a volcano after a phreatomagmatic eruption (interaction between magma and groundwater). This type of lagoon is called a maar.

This castle stands on the impressive Alacranejo hill and, despite its original defensive character, it underwent various modifications. Opposite it there is another hill with the ruins of the Salvatierra Castle, in the lands of Calzada de Calatrava. It probably has Arab origins, but it was deeply remodeled with the transfer of the knights of the Order from the Castle of Calatrava La Vieja (Carrión de Calatrava) in 1217, after the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa with the aim of consolidating the defensive line of Sierra Morena. In turn, it is made up of three walled enclosures and is accessed by the original road that was built on the occasion of the visit of Philip II through the Iron Gate, in red volcanic stone. Afterwards, we can find the Gate of the Arches, which allows entry into the parlatorio or courtyard of the convent, the courtyards, the church, the rooms and the refectory. Really, when you walk through it, you can imagine what happened in

The Church of Our Lady of Consolation in Ballesteros de Calatrava is a beautiful example of architecture with a Mudejar influence. This temple has a single nave and a polygonal apse. The highlight of the church is its Plateresque doorway, decorated with medallions of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, candelieri and a pointed arch. Inside, there are remains of a Mudejar-style coffered ceiling that appears to date back to the 14th century. The original building collapsed in 1861, and what remains today is a reconstruction that maintains some elements of the original design. In addition, some images of this parish are in the Diocesan Museum of Ciudad Real.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit this church, you will be able to appreciate its history and architecture. Despite the vicissitudes of time, its presence continues to be a testimony of faith and culture in the region. 🙏✨

The monuments and centers of cultural interest are spread throughout its streets: the Palermo Museum, the Casa-Convent of La Merced, current home of the Hieronymite nuns, in a modernist style and dating back to the 19th century. Continuing the visit you can visit the Cervantina Library, inside which countless editions of Don Quixote are collected, in various languages, formats and periods, as well as canvases and drawings related to the Cervantine character. From here you can also see the Municipal Theater, built in 1845 on the site of the old Carmelite Convent.

Next to La Hoya del Acebuche or Los Frailes, it is a maar in the municipality of Almagro.

In the Alcudia Valley, we find the municipality of Almodóvar del Campo built on the side of a volcano, so present in Campo de Calatrava, and whose crater is now a lagoon. The Arab footprint is the most emblematic of the city, leaving behind the memory of the Castle and above all the unique Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption. There you can see the first videomapping in Spain permanently installed in a closed space, under the theme of the life and work of San Juan de Ávila.

It is formed by a Strombolian volcanic cone of pyroclasts, and due to the quarry in it, its internal structure is exposed. Attached to the foot of this volcano is the Almodóvar maar, which is a phreatomagmatic explosion crater that erupted at the edge of the Paleozoic series, cutting a substrate of hard lithology and destroying part of the previous volcano. The maar crater is funnel-type (hard-type substrate) and houses an ephemeral lagoon inside. In its southern and eastern contour the maar has a ring of tuffs, with pyroclastic facies. The phreatomagmatic deposits of the maar ring are located on a Cenozoic red colluvium. The main interest is of a volcanological (petrological) type and as a secondary interest the geomorphological interest stands out.