There was a beautiful sunrise out our window in Hotel San Antón Abad.
7:36 AM - Villafranca Montes de Oca: sunrise and Iglesia de Santiago el Mayor, from our hotel room.
7:46 AM - Villafranca Montes de Oca: sunrise a few minutes later (clouds).
We ate buffet breakfast (included) at Hotel San Antón Abad. We made sandwiches for lunch, which the young English-speaking man (son of the jefe [boss]) at the reception desk had told us was OK. However, the breakfast room attendant said we could not; then, when we told him what the receptionist had said, he finally said OK but not to let the jefe see it.
8:26 AM - Villafranca Montes de Oca: Hotel San Antón Abad – MT in breakfast room (off the dining room to the left).
8:26 AM - Villafranca Montes de Oca: Hotel San Antón Abad – breakfast room buffet table.
We departed around 9 am. After Villafranca Montes de Oca, the path began to climb, first through oak trees and then pine.
9:39 AM – After Villafranca Montes de Oca: MT on path through oaks.
9:42 AM – After Villafranca Montes de Oca: MT in heather.
9:43 AM – After Villafranca Montes de Oca: MT in heather (close up).
9:48 AM – After Villafranca Montes de Oca: Don in pine trees (planted in rows).
There was a steep climb to the Monumento a los Caídos (Monument to the Fallen) during the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
9:59 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: sign for “Fosa Común no 2” [Common Grave No. 2] located in 2011. It says 30 bodies were exhumed, plus another 30 that disappeared during the enlargement of the Camino. They were assassinated between July and December 1936.
10:00 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from SE.
10:00 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from SE (closer up).
10:02 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from E; Large plaque in Spanish translates: [“Their death was not in vain [;] their execution by firing squad was useless.”]
10:01 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from SW, with MT looking at E side.
10:01 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from SW, with MT preparing to take photo of E side. Plaque on W side for “Monte de la Pedraja 1936”: Spanish text translates: [“In this place, about three hundred people were shot by those who supported the coup of General Francisco Franco against the legitimately established Second Republic, and that gave rise to the Spanish Civil War between the years 1936 and 1939.
“They were murdered in the first few months of the Civil War for their political ideals and for defending freedom.
“This humble monument, made by their families, will serve so that we will never forget their memory.
“Rest in peace.”]
10:01 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: stone marker for common grave no. 2, from SW, with MT checking photo on iPhone.
10:03 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: sign for common grave No. 1, located in 2010. It says the grave contained 104 bodies, which were assassinated between July and December 1936.
10:02 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: wood plank bridge and path leading to common grave no. 1.
10:03 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: common grave no. 1.
10:06 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: wind turbines on rise behind the monument.
10:01 AM – Monumento de los Caídos: close-up of one wind turbines on rise behind the monument (telephoto, 360 mm).
After the monument, the path went steeply downhill to a footbridge over the dry stream Arroyo Peroja, then steeply up again. Then there was a long stretch where the red dirt path had been greatly widened. (In 2013, it had been very muddy, and we thought pilgrims had kept widening it to get around the mud. However, this year it was dry and seemed to have been widened by machines, which left tracks.)
1017 AM – After crossing Arroyo Peroja: looking back at the steep path we had followed down to the dry river and back up again to a high point (alto) near the Puerta Pedraja pass through which the N-120 highway passes.
10:27 AM –Alto near Puerta Pedraja: MT on wide, red dirt path through pines.
10:30 AM –Alto near Puerta Pedraja: Don on wide, red dirt path through pines, looking back down hill.
10:35 AM –Alto near Puerta Pedraja: MT and Don on wide, red dirt path through pines.
10:47 AM –Alto near Puerta Pedraja: MT on wide, red dirt path through pines, with yellow (and blue) arrow and red-and-white GR sign on stone marker in what was now middle of path.
10:52 AM –Alto near Puerta Pedraja: more of wide, red dirt path through pines.
We arrived at San Juan de Ortega (pop 20) at 12 noon. We visited the Monastery of San Juan de Ortega, which includes the Chapel of San Nicolás de Bari (under renovation) and the Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega.
There seems to be some confusion in guidebooks and websites between the chapel and the church associated with the Monasterio de San Juan de Ortega. The reason for this may be that the Romanesque chapel built by Juan de Ortega in the 12th century and dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari was later (after his death and sainthood) expanded into the present church, which over time became known as Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega. A new Capilla de San Nicolás de Bari was built adjacent to the church in the 15th century.
The Monastery of San Juan de Ortega dates from the 12th century, when it became an important priory and hospital. In 1170, King Alfonso VII of Castile donated the church to the cathedral of Burgos. From the 12th century, the monastery was inhabited by a small group of Regular Canons of the Order of St. Augustine. The town was abandoned following the death of its founder, although the small monastery struggled until 1431, when the bishop of Burgos gave it to the Jerónimos (Order of St. Jerome), which gave it new life. The 12th-century church and monastery were further built in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. In 1835, as a result of the ecclesiastical confiscations of Mendizábal, the monastery was deserted and fell into ruin. The work of restoration began in 1964, first the church and then the cloister.
San Juan de Ortega (St. John of the Nettles) was born Juan Velazquez in the Burgos town of Quintanaortuño in 1080 and was therefore also known as Juan de Quintanaortuño. He was a disciple of Domingo de la Calzada who worked with him on the building of bridges and improvement of roads in the area, to support pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. In 1112, after the death of Domingo in 1109, Juan decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the return trip, his ship survived a severe storm after he prayed to St. Nicolás de Bari to intercede for his safety, and he promised to build a chapel in that saint’s honor. He chose to locate this small chapel in the Montes de Oca in an uninhabited area known as Ortega, from Latin Utrica, which means nettle (ortiga in Spanish), where today the town of San Juan de Ortega is located. Juan then took the name of Ortega. He built the small hermitage with the aid of the Regular Canons of St. Augustine, who established a community there. The original construction consisted of the chapel, some cells for the monks, and a shelter for pilgrims. Later, he started work on a monachal church. By 1130 his hospice in the woods had attracted the attention of powerful benefactors, including King Alfonso VII, who chose Juan as his personal confessor. In 1138, Juan founded the Monastery of San Nicolás, known since the beginning of the 13th century as Monastery of San Juan de Ortega. This Augustinian monastery was in a wild and isolated place that was difficult and dangerous for pilgrims between La Rioja and Burgos. Juan de Ortega died in 1163.
The monastery church, originally called San Nicolás but now Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega, was built in phases. In the first phase, in the last third of the 12th century, the three semicircular apses, the east wall of the transept, and freestanding pillars were built in the Romanesque style. (This phase is attributed to San Juan de Ortega himself.) In the second phase, in the early 13th century, the cross or transept nave was completed. In a third phase, in the middle of the 15th century, the (extended) naves in Gothic style, the west façade, the cloister, and the Renaissance chapel of San Nicolás were built. In 1475, the previously barren Queen Isabela visited the church in order to pray for help from San Juan de Ortega, who it was said could cure infertility. She went there 6 years in succession, and in the following year bore an heir, who was given the name Juan (Prince John of Austria); later she had a daughter who was baptized as Juana (Princess Joanna of Castile). She later had a third child.
The Capilla de San Nicolás de Bari (aka Capilla del Santo) was financed by Queen Isabela in 1477. The chapel is dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari (d. 345), who allegedly saved San Juan from drowning on his way back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It contains an 18th-century altarpiece that depicts San Nicolás de Bari (as a bishop) and San Juan de Ortega (as an Augustinian monk).
11:44 AM – Near San Juan de Ortega: MT on path with San Juan in distance (crane for construction).
12:00 PM – San Juan de Ortega: stone building (MT took).
12:00 PM – San Juan de Ortega: scallop shell motif on street near monastery.
11:57 AM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega - apse (with construction crane and scaffolding behind it).
11:59 AM – San Juan de Ortega: monastery - San Nicolás chapel (under renovation) and bell tower and western façade of Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega (late Gothic with its small 15th-century Gothic portal with pointed archivolts).
11:59 AM – San Juan de Ortega: monastery door to Chapel of San Nicolás with statue of San Nicolás de Bari over door.
Over the crypt in the central apse of Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega is a beautiful Gothic sepulcher with fine tracery stonework bearing the effigy of the saint. San Juan, however, is buried in the monastery church in a simpler stone sarcophagus.
12:02 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Baldaquino Gótico” [Gothic Baldachin (canopy over altar)] – English part: “It was commissioned by the Counts of Haro, Pedro Fernández de Velasco and Beariz Manrique in 1462. It is held that two groups of artisans worked on this piece of art: the first, closely related to the style of Johann of Cologne; the second, who at a later date finished it, was trained in the tradition of Gil de Siloé. It was carved in limestone and the reclining statue in alabaster. It is designed as an architectural piece with six canopied arches decorated with tracery which support the grained vaulting on the inside. Between the arches are six angels holding the coats of arms of Castile and Leon, of the Manrique family, the Velasco family and the cross of St. Andrew. On the lower part resting on the base is a high plinth decorated with six scenes of the miracles of St. Juan. Above it is the figure of the saint lying down and dressed in the robes of a canon. Upon the pedestals are six statues of saints venerated in the Order of St. Jerome.”
The scenes of the life and miracles of the saint include his journey to Jerusalem, the miracle of the loaves, the resurrection of a pilgrim, the cure of the thieves who stole and destroyed the work of the Saint, and the prayer of the faithful to the Holy Sepulcher.
12:03 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – baldachin sepulcher of San Juan (from side).
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – statue of Santo Domingo de la Calzada over side altar.
12:03 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – statue of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and chickens (close-up telephoto, 112 mm).
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Escultura de Santo Domingo de la Calzada” [Statue of Santo Domingo de la Calzada] – English part: “In the right apse is the statue of St. Domingo de la Calzada. He is represented as an elderly man with a long grey beard of a hermit, the black habit of a monk, holding a staff and barefoot. All of which represents his poverty and dedication to the pilgrim route and themselves. At his feet are a rooster and a hen, symbols of the miraculous resurrection of an innocent man who was hung and the popular saying: ‘In the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, cackled the hen which had been roasted.’ The statue is present in the church to express the close relationship between the two saints; a tradition has always held that St. Juan was a disciple of St. Domingo, native of the neighboring province of La Rioja, and inherited from him the running of the hospital and the church founded by his master. Both of them repaired, constructed and maintained several parts of the pilgrim route”
The Retablo de la Vida de San Jerónimo (Altarpiece of the Life of St. Jerome) from 1530 is evidence of the time when the monks of St. Jerome were in charge of the church and monastery (15th to 19th centuries). Depicted on it are not only frequent themes about St. Jerome, but also some others that are quite uncommon: St. Jerome appearing after his death to St. Augustine or to St. Eusebius during his death throes or saving Archbishop Silvano from decapitation; also remarkable is the scene in which a nun succeeds in getting rid of satanic temptations thanks to a painting of St. Jerome. This altarpiece is located at the southern (left) end of the crossing of the church.
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – Altarpiece of San Jerónimo (St. Jerome) at S end of crossing.
12:05 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – Altarpiece of San Jerónimo (St. Jerome) (close-up).
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: San Nicolás chapel – Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Retablo de la vida de San Jerónimo” [Altarpiece of the Life of St. Jerome] – English part: “This work was done in the mid 16th century and is similar to the altar of the Final Judgement. Several scenes of the life of St. Jerome are arranged around the central statue of the Saint so famous for his penitent life. The artistic style follows the tendency set by Phillip Vigany. On the base of the altar is represented in three reliefs the story of the lion who stayed with St. Jerome after his paw was cured by the saint. Above we see, on the one side, the Divine Judgement and, on the other, a monk in temptation being protected by St. Jerome. Above these are a scene in which the saint prays before a dead bishop and another in which of four nuns of the Order suffer temptation. Between them is a medallion with the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. Finally, on top is St. Jerome inspiring the writing of a monk.”
Located in the corner angle between the eastern and southern walls is the Capital of the Annunciation and Visitation, the lesser known cousin of the capital associated with the Miracle of Light.
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Capitel de la Anunciación y Visitación” [Capital of the Annunciation and Visitation] – English part: “The capital in the apse forms part of the first phase of construction in the 12th century. On one of its two sides is the Annunciation, on the other is the Visitation. These scenes are framed within arches and towers which represent the heavenly Jerusalem. The style is closely related to the sculpting done at that time on pieces of ivory and on sarcophagi. In Annunciation we see two figures each within an arch: standing is the Archangel Gabriel as he gestures toward the Blessed Virgin who has her open hands lifted up in a sign of acceptance. In the Visitation, beneath a single arch, the Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth embrace. They both wear similar garments and St. Elizabeth is placing her hands symbolically on Mary’s stomach.”
We saw this sign but could not locate the capital. All the capitals were very high up near the vaulted ceiling, and the light was not good in some places. Besides that, we were really looking for a different capital that includes the Annunciation and Visitation, the one associated with the Miracle of Light. The website www.virtualtourist.com identifies the capital pictured and described on this sign as one in the southern nave, while the one associated with the Miracle of Light is in the northern nave; www.caminomilenaria.com says the latter capital is in the northern apse (Spanish: el ábside septentrional de la iglesia). We didn’t find that one either, partly because this sign misled us into looking for it in the southern rather than northern apse (at the head of the southern and northern naves, respectively).
In the Capilla del Evangelio (Chapel of the Gospel) in the northern apse is the triple capital with scenes from the Nativity, regarded along with the “Capitel de Roldán y Ferragut” as one of the two most outstanding of the church’s 76 capitals. Experts call this capital “a unique sculpture of the Spanish Romanesque” and “the most extraordinary Annunciation in all of Western sacred art.”
San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – detail of the 12th-century capital of the cycle of the Nativity. (This photo shows the Annunciation and Visitation and a bit more of the Birth part.)
At the left is the Annunciation with the Archangel Gabriel kneeling before Mary, carrying a cross topped by a cross in his left hand and probably pointing with his (missing) right hand. Mary, as usual, is depicted with her upturned palms turned outward, a sign of obedience. To the right of that is the Visitation (center or actually a continuation of the first side) in which Mary and Elizabeth are embracing, with Elizabeth (at the right) appearing significantly older than Mary and placing her hand on Mary’s stomach (to the left of Mary is a maid who accompanied her on the journey). Around the corner to the right is the scene of the Birth. On the corner between them is the Dream of Joseph.
MT Saturday, August 30, 2014, 12:30 PM – Burgos: Municipal Albergue – photo
(of illuminated Nativity capital at San Juan de Ortega (Mary part
of Annunciation scene, maid of Visitation scene, dreaming Joseph, and part of
Birth scene).
San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega - Birth (with parts of Annunciation and Visitation at left and Annunciation to Shepherds at right) on Nativity capital (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rabiespierre/8057621709).
The third (or second) part of the triple capital (in the center section around the corner to right) represents the Nacimiento (Birth). At the top, it shows what some describe as Mary (sleeping) [or is it an angel, since wings are visible?] with her left hand on the manger with the baby Jesus (overlooked by a donkey and a cow) and her right hand resting on the head of Joseph, who is seated below her (sleeping or dreaming) on the corner between this scene and the Visitation; the lower part shows Mary in bed, attended by the midwives Zelomí and Salomé, one watching directly over the mother at the head of the bed and the other partly hidden behind [with] a container. Mary leans her cheek on her left hand, expressing pain, and at the same time increases the allusion by placing her right hand on her stomach. Above is the manger in which the baby Jesus lies, which is protected from the weather by the heat provided by a donkey and an ox sticking our behind. Three oil lamps hang from the ceiling, while the environment is culminated by a star that shines in the center. Completing the scene is the figure of Joseph, seated left, asleep (dreaming?), in an attitude oblivious to what is represented. The Birth, in the central part of the triple capital is the culminating moment of the Nativity cycle.
In the far right corner [third or fourth side of the capital?] (ending the cycle of the triple capital) is a shepherd with sheep in a scene of the Annunciation to the Shepherds simplified due to lack of space. It is only suggested by a single shepherd with a peaked cap, dressed in wool, with his hands on a staff. He feeds a flock, represented by four sheep in the foreground, while listening to the message of an angel with the forefinger of its right hand pointing toward the star and the baby Jesus. (To the left of the angel is the second midwife, around the corner from the first in the Birth scene.)
On a column near the access to the Capilla de la Epistola (Chapel of the Epistle) in the northern apse is the second of the storied capitals, the so-called Capitel de Roldán y Ferragut.
12:04 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Capitel de Roldán y Ferragut” [Capital of Roldán and Ferragut] – English part: “This capital probably belongs to the first phase of construction in the 12th century. It is quite deteriorated and one of its sides has been completely worn away. On the remaining sides can be seen two figures, one standing, the other on a horse. The first wears chainmail, helmet and carries a sword and shield as if attacking. The knight on the horse also has on a helmet and carries a shield. The horse’s front hoof is lifted as if charging. It has often been interpreted as the struggle between Roland, one of Charlemagne’s knights, and Ferragut the giant moor. Roland defeated him because he knew his enemy’s one weak point. This scene is frequently represented all along the pilgrim route as it is said to have taken place in the nearby town of Nájera.”
The website www.arquivoltas.com says that the warrior at the left, fighting on foot, wears chainmail, helmet, and Norman shield and wields his sword unsheathed. The one at the right does not wear chainmail but has a helmet protecting his head; he is mounted on horseback with a sword hanging from his belt leaning on the side of the animal and a Norman shield on his left arm. [The fact that both have Normal shields would support the notion that this capital, like the one on Calle La Cruz in Navarrete, depicts combat between two Christian knights.]
12:05 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – capital of Roldán and Ferragut high up on a column on side of nave.
12:06 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – capital of Roldán and Ferragut (telephoto, 186 mm).
One of the most striking parts of the Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega is the beautiful Gothic sepulcher of San Juan de Ortega, located in the center apse, with fine tracery stonework and bearing the effigy of the saint. However, the saint’s remains are not there, but in a simple stone sarcophagus in the left apse, a more down-to-earth resting place for this most practical of saints.
12:07 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sign for “Tumba de San Juan de Ortega” [Tomb of San Juan de Ortega] – English part: “This is the tomb which holds the remains of St. Juan de Ortega. It is a simple unadorned sarcophagus of rectangular [Spanish: trapezoidal] form on the outside while carved inside with a human silhouette [Spanish: “y antropomorfice en el interior” = and anthropomorphic (human-shaped) in the interior].
“It was originally in the Chapel of St. Nicholas where, to avoid looting, it was placed within a carved tomb which was covered by a polycromed wood sarcophagus crowned by a Gothic canopy. [Spanish part says: “Originalmente estabe situado en la Capilla de San Nicolás debajo del sepulcra labrado, un sacrofago de madera policromada y el balcaquino gótico. Se cree que estaba asi dispuesto para avitar los saqueos de reliquias.” (Originally it was situated in the Chapel of San Nicolás beneath a carved sepulcher, a sarcophagus of polycromed wood and the Gothic baldachin. It is believed that it was arranged thus in order to avoid plunderings of relics.)] It was opened for the first time in the 15th century, an act documented at the time bu[t] lost today. [Spanish: “Se abrio por primera vez en el siglo XV, hecho que fue recogido en un documento de la epoca, hoy desparecido.” (It was opened for the first time in the 15th century, an act recorded in a document of the time, now disappeared.)] In the restoration done in the 1960’s it was opened again; the remains being studied together with a Romanesque cloth, as well as the chalice and paten which belonged to the Saint.”
12:07 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sarcophagus of San Juan de Ortega with Altarpiece of the Souls.
The Romanesque sarcophagus had originally been in the crypt (under the baldachin) but, following a flood in 2005, it was moved aboveground into the left apse of the church.
Retablo de las Animas (Altarpiece of the Souls), also known as “Last Judgment,” is from the mid-16th century. It depicts naked figures of the tortured souls in hell and purgatory. Above them is the image of the Virgin and Child, flanked by Apostles acting as intermediators, and at the top is an image of the risen Christ showing his wounds. It was originally in the right apse but was moved to the left apse after restoration.
12:07 PM – San Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – sarcophagus of San Juan de Ortega (telephoto, 64 mm). Plaque reads: “San Juan de Ortega 1,080 – 1,16[3] (Sepulcro del S[anto]).
San
Juan de Ortega: Iglesia de San Juan de Ortega – Retablo de las Animas (https://www.flickr.com/photos/75710752@N04/8969877737/).
After we visited the church, we went to a bar for a bottle of water to go with our sandwiches and fruit from the hotel. A busload of Austrians came. We departed San Juan de Ortega around 12:35.
1:08 PM – After San Juan de Ortega: possibly first view of Burgos.
1:08 PM – After San Juan de Ortega: possibly first view of Burgos over wheat stubble and field of sunflowers (telephoto, 74 mm).
1:09 PM – Near Agés: labyrinth in grass and stones.
1:09 PM – Near Agés: Agés in distance (telephoto, 64 mm).
1:15 PM – Near Agés: MT on path approaching Agés, with blue sign at right.
1:17 PM – Near Agés: sign “Un pueblo con encanto - Agés - Quedale y veras” [A town with charm/enchantment - Agés - Stop and see] with multiple yellow arrows pointing to “Agés” in the center.
We stopped in Agés (pop 60) to refill our water bottles. On the hot day, we enjoyed the shade in a small park near the quaint El Alquimista [the alchemist], which signs identified as a combination of “Bar, Tienda, Alimentación, Albergue” [bar, shop, groceries, hostel].
Agés had its origins in the mid-10th century during the Reconquista. In 1135, King Fernando VII, in his efforts to protect the pilgrims headed for Santiago, diverted the old route, and since then it has gone through Agés.
1:24 PM – Agés: El Alquimista and signs in nearby park.
1:26 PM – Agés: old millstone, sign “Santiago 518 km,” with El Alquimista in background, with signs on shaded wall “Bar, Tienda, Alimentación, Albergue” [bar, shop, groceries, hostel].
1:25 PM – Agés: sign for “Santiago 518 km” (close-up).
After our short break, we continued along an asphalt road toward Atapuerca.
1:34 PM – After Agés: MT on road (Atapuerca in distance).
1:48 PM – After Agés: large stack of hay bales with 15 tiers (at a distance, it looked like a fortress or hermitage; shadow of bales on lower tier looked like a door).
Between Agés and Atapuerca, we passed the entrance of the Parque Arqueológico. We did not take the road 500 m to the right of the Camino to the visitor center. (In 2013, we had seen many of the finds from the Atapuerca site in the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos.)
The Yacimientos de la Sierra de Atapuerca [Archaeological Fields of the Atapuerca Mountains] is an archaeological site of prehistoric caves that are the source of the earliest human remains ever discovered in Europe, dating back over 900,000 years. The site was discovered in the late 19th century while cutting a rail link to nearby mines. The scientific excavation begun in 1964 has found human remains from a wide range of ages: early humans to the Bronze Age and modern man. The archaeological dig is ongoing, and the latest, unconfirmed analysis, is of human activity going back over one million years. This was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
1:55 PM – Atapuerca: close-up of sign for “Atapuerca – Yacimientos peleontológicos – Patrimonio de la humanidad – Unesco 30-11-2000” [Atapuerca – Paleontological Fields – World Heritage Site (literally Patrimony of humanity)] – UNESCO Nov 30, 2000].
1:57 PM – Atapuerca: Don with sign for “Atapuerca – Yacimientos paleontológicos.”
1:57 PM – Atapuerca: MT with prehistoric man on sign for Atapuerca archaeological site.
1:58 PM – Atapuerca: MT with prehistoric man on sign for Atapuerca archaeological site.
2:00 PM – Atapuerca: MT and Don with sign for “Atapuerca – Yacimientos paleontológicos.”
1:54 PM – Atapuerca: sign for “Atapuerca – Yacimientos paleontológicos” with church in town of Atapuerca in background.
On the road at the edge of Atapuerca (pop 200), we met Eddie Murphy (“the elder” he said) from England, who had done 3 caminos from St. Jean Pied de Port and 2 from Pamplona. He gave us pointers on his favorite places to stay and eat (including 2 places in Herrerias near the border with Galicia). We didn’t actually go into the town, since we had stayed there last year, but just continued on the Camino path.
After Atapuerca, we began a long climb in the blazing heat. There was a difficult rocky path up to a cross, where we could see Burgos in the distance.
2:51 PM – After Atapuerca: stony path uphill.
3:02 PM – After Atapuerca: Don at top of stony path, approaching the cross. Actually, there was not a well-defined path at this time—only a barren hilltop full of rocks.
3:12 PM – At cruceiro/punto de vista (cross/view point) after Atapuerca: first clear view of Burgos in distance to west (telephoto, 112 mm).
3:13 PM– At cross /viewpoint after Atapuerca: metal sign with words cut out: “desde que el peregrino dominó en Burguete los montes de navarra y vio los campos dilatados de España, no ha gozado de vista más hermosa como esta.” [After the pilgrim conquered the mountains of Navarra in Burguete and saw the expanded fields of Spain, [he] has not enjoyed a view more beautiful than this] with source “Las peregrinaciones jacobeas, luciano huidobro, pag. 106, tomo II.” listed at lower right (from vol 2 of a 3-volume work published in 1949-51).
3:19 PM– At cross/viewpoint after Atapuerca: view toward where we were headed (to SW) (village in foreground could have been Villlaval).
3:19 PM– After cross/viewpoint: Don on more of rocky path headed down to W.
3:23 PM– After cross /viewpoint: MT coming down rocky path.
From the viewpoint, we intended to head toward the village of Orbaneja. However, the signage from there didn’t agree with the Brierley book, and we followed the official yellow arrows (away from the sign pointing to the Orbaneja decision point).
We arrived at Cardeñuela Riopico (pop 103) around 4:15.
The town of Cardeñuela Riopico began to take shape in the late 9th century, after the founding of Burgos in 884, which provided security for repopulation around the modest rivers Vena and Pico. In 899, the monastery of San Pedro Cardena was founded. The name of the town is a diminutive of the Cárdena name and surname. For greater distinction it added Val de Orbaneja and now Riopico (sometimes Rio Pico). Its first documentary mention is in 978. The monks of Cardena became lords of the village, lasting until the early 19th century.
At the edge of town, we saw a sign on a tree for “Casa Rural 500 m.”
6:33 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: near entrance to town (city limit sign on right, CR sign on tree at left). The two ladies walking were familiar from earlier on the Camino.
6:33 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: sign on tree “Casa Rural 500 m Room.”
We had to ask twice for how to get to the CR, first at a bar La Parada and then at a place (with no sign) where we heard a group of people inside eating (it turned out to be a private meal, but a man told us to keep going down the street for the CR).
4:12 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: cartoon of overloaded pilgrim dreaming of easy chair at home (on side of a building).
6:14 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Bar Albergue Municipal La Parada (we would come back here for dinner).
6:10 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: private home (with green and flowers) and white building to left we thought might be the CR when we heard group of men eating just inside door with beaded curtain.
Finally, we found the Casa Rural “La Cardeñuela” (no name on any sign). The owner Belén (Spanish name for Bethlehem) said she and her husband keep this as a summer home but live in the outskirts of Burgos in the winter. She showed us a double room with a shared bathroom upstairs and said she didn’t expect any more pilgrims that day (around 4:30). The room was 50€ with breakfast. We washed clothes and hung them on a rack on her balcony, reached through the bathroom.
6:07 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – exterior with owner Belén in front.
4:49 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – Don and MT in front (our room was upstairs to the rear left; balcony with flowers is where we later hung clothes and took sunset photos).
4:50 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – Don and MT in front (close up).
4:48 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – Don and Belén in dining room.
4:23 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – our room.
4:24 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – our room (fortunately, the old sink with pitcher and chamber pot were for decoration only).
Around 6:15, Don went out to look around town.
6:15 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Don at corner by La Parada bar on street that led up to church (man sitting at table outside bar asked if he could take Don’s picture).
Don walked up the hill on that street to Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida.
The current Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida dates to the 16th century. The date of 1519 appears in one window. It is in the Gothic style, with a Renaissance façade and a belfry with two large bells. The façade has a magnificent carved Pieta. It is assumed that there was a previous pre-Romanesque or Romanesque church, but nothing remains of it.
6:16 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: approaching Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida, end with belfry.
6:17 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida – belfry end (closer up).
6:17 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida – belfry end and side with façade and entrance.
6:18 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida façade (fancy for plain church). Church was closed.
6:18 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida façade, with Pieta at top and statue [of Santa Eulalia?] in arch over door (Cropped).
6:24 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Iglesia Santa Eulalia de Mérida partway up hill from main street (same two ladies on street).
For dinner, we ate the 8€ menu at La Parada: 1st course: we split sopa castellana (Castilian soup) and crema de verdura (cream of vegetable); 2nd course: both had picadillo (meat) with salad vice patatas fritas; dessert: tureen of ice cream (chocolate sundae). We got bread, a bottle of water, and a half bottle of Castilian wine; MT told the waitress “nos falta vino” (we are out of wine), and she brought us another whole bottle (no extra charge). We left half (for the next customers?) and gave her a 2€ tip. We got sellos (probably here).
7:14 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: La Parada 8€ menu.
7:14 PM [taken when] - Cardeñuela Riopico: La Parada – our first half bottle of wine, ironically called “Viña Doble” [Double Wine]. with picadillo and salad in background.
7:15 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: La Parada – picadillo.
7:18 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: La Parada – Don with picadillo and salad; wine and bread.
Back at Casa Rural " La Cardeñuela," Belen called Hotel Urban in Burgos for us; it was booked up for August 29, but we reserved for the 30th; for the first night they recommended the nearby Hotel Pancho (60€). We went out on the balcony (past bathroom) to see the beautiful sunset. When MT was having trouble getting a good picture, Belén climbed up on the railing to try her luck.
9:00 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – sunset (Don took this one).
9:08 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – Belén on balcony rail taking photo of sunset for us.
9:21 PM - Cardeñuela Riopico: Casa Rural La Cardeñuela – MT in hammock on balcony.
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