The best traffic-free bike rides around Alcázar De San Juan

Alcázar de San Juan is one of the most interesting destinations in the heart of La Mancha, with a blend of history, heritage, nature, and Cervantine traditions. Its name comes from the Military Order of Saint John, which dominated the area after the Reconquista. It claims to be the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, as the baptismal font where, according to some studies, the writer was baptized is preserved in the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor. It was an important railway junction and economic center in the 19th and 20th centuries, which shaped its urban development.

Alcázar de San Juan is one of the most interesting destinations in the heart of La Mancha, with a blend of history, heritage, nature, and Cervantine traditions. Its name comes from the Military Order of Saint John, which dominated the area after the Reconquista. It claims to be the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, as the baptismal font where, according to some studies, the writer was baptized is preserved in the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor. It was an important railway junction and economic center in the 19th and 20th centuries, which shaped its urban development.

The windmills of San Antón Hill are one of the great symbols of Alcázar de San Juan (Ciudad Real) and an essential part of the Don Quixote Route. They emerged in La Mancha in the mid-16th century as an alternative to the scarcity of watermills, due to the climate and the terrain. San Antón Hill is a Paleozoic elevation located southeast of the town, about 2.5 km from the town center, with spectacular views of the La Mancha plains.

Return to the town of Campo de Criptana

Beautiful surroundings with bird watching points and to enjoy nature

It was built in 1859. Its main attraction is its neo-Romanesque elements, such as the archivolts at the entrance or its impressive central nave, more than twenty meters long and six meters wide. The stained glass windows on its walls, with their religious motifs, fill the interior with light and color. There are many images that are venerated in the Church. Highlights include the Virgin of Good Counsel, patron saint of the town; San Antonio Abad, male patron saint; the Virgin of Sorrows, a beautiful statue; the Santísimo Cristo de Medinaceli, with a possible Soria origin; or the Recumbent Christ, a superb carving of the Son of God. During the Civil War the Church was looted and lost some images and relics. For this and other reasons, the temple had to be renovated, starting with moving the belfry and its heavy cast iron bell to the entrance to the Church square.

These iconic mills are symbols of Campo de Criptana and all of Castilla-La Mancha. Its blades preside over the life of the town of La Mancha from above. The mills are of the “tower” type, built in masonry and whitewashed with lime. They have a circular plan pierced with small windows, which served as a guide for the orientation of the wind. This indicated where to turn the conical cover so that its blades could take advantage of the wind as desired. Each mill has three floors: the upper one with the grinding stones and the lower ones for storage and packaging. The oldest mills, such as the Sardinero, Burleta and Infante, have been standing since the 16th century and preserve their original mechanism. There are also more modern mills, such as the Inca Garcilaso, the Cariari, the Vicente Huidobro, the Pilón, the Lagarto, the Culebro and the Poyatos, which date back to 1900. Currently, some of these mills can be visited, such as the Molino Infante, the Burleta, the Culebro (which houses the Sara Montiel Museum), the Quimera (which houses the town's Holy Week Museum) and the Poyatos Mill (current tourist information point). The others are closed to the public. I hope you enjoy exploring these iconic windmills! 😊

Also beautiful to look at at dusk