subject: Aracena The Town With The Cave Of The Marvels [print this page] Overview Overview
The town, Aracena, is located in the north east part of Huelva province and is a municipality. Its population was about 7400 in the year 2007. This town is quiet with attractive white houses that form a semi circle under the church and castle.It is one of the popular tourist spots in this region. History
The first known human settlements in this town were from prehistoric times. Archaeological remains have been found in the village of Umbria which date back to III millennium BC. Since this place was rich in minerals, settlements were found both in the Bronze Age and Iron Age. The main cause for Roman settlements in the 3rd century was the mines and they created support for agricultural settlements which could have resulted in the origination of Aracena as well as other towns.
Climate
The maximum and minimum temperatures in this city are 35C in July-August and 4 C in January. Since this town is located on a mountain, it has frequent rains, moderate summer and cold winter.
Art and Culture
The following monuments are popular:
Cave of the Marvels this is a hidden treasure and the most important national monument. This cave is inside the hill below the castle and was formed by water filtering through the calcareous rock for ages. According to a legend this cave was found by a boy who was in search of his pig.
Aracena Castle was built in the 13th century on the site of the Muslim fortress and you can see the views of the entire range of mountain from here.
Templar Church is located next to the castle and was built between the 13th and 14th centuries; this is the oldest church and also a national monument.
Geology and Minerals Museum is located at the caves entrance and was formed in the year 1983.
Town Hall was designed in the year 1911 by the architect Anbal Gonzlez and is a red brick building.
Contemporary open air Sculpture Museum.
Cuisine
The most famous food item in this city is jamn ibrico which basically is a cured ham from pigs fed with acorn. This town is also famous for seta mushrooms. Other popular food items are sausages, pork loin and blood sausage.
Sports and Entertainment
There are facilities for various sports - basketball, volley ball, chess, mountain biking, canoeing, football and soccer and martial arts.
Business
The economy of this town is mainly dependent on Agriculture, Livestock and Tourism.
