7 essentials: what to see and do in Alto Arlanza (Burgos)

El Arlanza River passes through the center of the Burgos province from the east to the west.

On its banks we find some of the Burgos towns with the most history and rich heritage.

Salas de los Infantes and especially covarrubias y Lerma are good examples of this.

As always, in addition to the best-known places, there are always others that are equally interesting for a weekend excursion.

Where it is and what to see in Alto Arlanza in Burgos

El upper course of the Arlanza It is one of those destinations that are a little out of the way and perhaps that is why they are less known.

However, we can say that it is a perfect destination for a getaway through the province of Burgos.

It is no wonder since at the natural beauty from some places in the Saw of Demand a curious person joins archaeological itinerary which is perfectly immersed in that mountain nature.

We are in the western part of the Pinares region that, although we normally relate it to the Soria province, also occupies part of the Burgos.

It is a mountainous area where pine forests abound.

There we find, especially in the highest parts, mountain towns which are very attractive, and higher up, beyond the birth of the Arlanza river, Is the Lagunas de Neila natural park.

Here a set of glacial lagoons which is particularly attractive for a good walk in the middle of nature.

How to visit the Necropolis in Alto Arlanza in Burgos

But, also, as we have already said, in this region we can follow one of the archaeological itineraries most surprising of the entire Peninsula.

We refer to the one formed by a series of early medieval sites formed by several necropolis.

What is surprising is that the tombs are carved into the rocky outcrops in the middle of the forests, which creates very curious groups.

Therefore, by going in search of it, we will also be spending time in the middle of nature.

Origin and history of the Alto Arlanza necropolis in Burgos

La history of these necropolises of Alto Arlanza It is interesting and very unknown, so overall the excursion has a small air of adventure and discovery.

The truth is that the epic of the pioneers of Wild West of the 19th century becomes child's play when compared to that of those who colonized the Duero border a thousand years ago.

The Douro It was not a clear border in the sense of a line that defines the limit of two kingdoms, but rather a wide area that was almost no man's land, which could sometimes be in the power of some and later receive incursions from others. So for a couple of centuries.

And in the Alto Arlanza valley It is possible to glimpse this colonization process that occurred between the mid-9th century and the beginning of the 11th.

Those were the times of struggle for dominance of the Douro lands, but also of another equally important process, such as that of the independence of the Castilian counties from the power of the lion king.

These necropolis They tell us about communities that lived in the area of ​​the Upper Arlanza at a time of repopulation that began at the end of the 9th century by Alfonso III on the border of the Duero.

The population was united by the Christian religion and imbued with the millenarian current that led to thinking about the proximity of the Final judgment and the resurrection of the bodies.

This last detail is important to explain the importance they gave to the burials.

To the east of Salas de los Infantes, which is always worth a stop, among Castrillo de la Reina y Regumiel de la Sierra There are numerous enclaves related to that moment.

Some are easily accessible, while others require a good hike to reach them, and, of course, some are more attractive than others.

Visiting the best-known ones can easily take a couple of days, so we have selected the ones that we think are the most interesting and that can be reached without problems.

What necropolis to see in Alto Arlanza

If we come from the Northern highway, the A-1, the route begins at Castrillo de la Reina.

How to see the Santiuste necropolis in Alto Arlanza

Once we pass the town, right next to the road, is the place known as Saints.

It is not the most interesting place, but we can stop since there is no need to detour.

There is a rocky outcrop with five anthropomorphic tombs and the imprints of habitation structures.

However, the most notable thing is a rock on which the apse of a semi-rupestrian church.

Alto Arlanza Necropolis Visitor Center in Burgos

The tour itself actually begins in the Alto Arlanza Necropolis Visitor Center found in Palaces of the Sierra.

It is the place to learn about the people who inhabited this region a thousand years ago and created the necropolises that can be seen now.

Here you can see a collection of funerary steles of these deposits, especially of The Castle, which is located in the same Palaces of the Sierra.

The main theme of this visitor center and the route is the necropolis, although there is also something to see remains of rock churches.

From here we come out with the conclusion that of all the deposits, The most interesting are those of Revenga and Cuyacabras, which become the real destination of this excursion.

How to visit and what to see in the Revenga Necropolis in Alto Arlanza de Burgos

If you don't have much time or don't want to walk a lot, it is best to go to Revenge since, in addition to being one of the most important, it is very easy to access.

It is the memory of a town that existed a thousand years ago and that was abandoned sometime in the 13th century.

We reach Revenge by following the road between Quintanar y Regumiel.

Some faint traces of the church site remain from this town.

In the surrounding area there are several recorded depicting different scenes, some of which may have a magical meaning.

The most interesting is the necropolis, a set of 145 tombs carved in the rocky outcrops near the church, and there are two types: elliptical and anthropomorphic.

They are all oriented in an east-west direction, so that the deceased, when the Trumpet of the Last Judgment, could be resurrected easily and immediately.

No human remains have been found in the archaeological excavations.

The town should have risen on the surrounding flat lands, but there are hardly any traces left; It is assumed that the materials from the homes and the church were reused after the place was abandoned.

How to visit and what to see in the Cuyacabras Necropolis in Alto Arlanza de Burgos

From our experience, the most interesting place is Cuyacabras.

To get there you have to follow some three kilometers along a track from Quintanar de la Sierrand then walk a few minutes along a path.

That is why the place is less visited, which added to the charm of its location, an area populated by pines and oaks, makes it the most attractive enclave on the route.

Many aspects of the Cuyacabras Necropolis are similar to those of Revenge.

The basis of the iglesia, tombs —there are 183 documented— are oriented in an east-west direction, although here there are also lateral niches carved into the vertical walls of the rock outcrop.

Just like in Revenga, this town, which was probably called Villa Godomar, must have lived from livestock and the exploitation of forests and hunting, with a small contribution from subsistence agriculture, very scarce in these high and cold lands.

The place was abandoned in the middle of the 13th century.

The Necropolis of Revenga and Cuyacabras They correspond to towns that are more or less important for the area and the time.

But at the same time, the tradition of the hermits who led a solitary life.

Some hermitages, over time, developed as important monastic centers —San Pedro de Arlanza, San Millan de la Cogolla, etc.—but many others maintained their primitive character of isolation and loneliness.

Hermitage of Cueva Andrés in Alto Arlanza in Burgos

Within walking distance of Cuyacabras the little one is found Andrés Cave hermitage.

Even now, 11 or 12 centuries later, it is a lonely corner located in a flat area within the pine forest, very close to a stream.

An idyllic, quiet place, where you can think that nothing has changed in the last thousand years.

There two large rocks appear, which house the remains of a cave, an oratory and a few graves; adapting to these rocks the hermitage.

On the largest rock you can see carving work. This part corresponds to the hermit's room.

The most curious thing is the horseshoe arch sculpted in the other rock that was the head of the oratory.

In both rocks there are a few graves, some in the shape of a side niche and others like a bathtub.

The Necropolis of Revenga and Cuyacabras They would be around the churches, which have disappeared.

Tombs in the Regumiel church in Alto Arlanza

If we go to Regumiel We can see what it was like in another time, since the current church is surrounded by early medieval tombs.

The problem here is that a modern staircase has affected the site, destroying it in part.

Dinosaur footprints in Regumiel

La visit to Regumiel It also has the appeal of a set of ichnites, dinosaur footprints, and the life-size reproduction of one of them.

Likewise, in your excursion to Alto Arlanza in Burgos You find other places that can be visited with more time.

En Castrillo de la Reina the path to the Nuns Covacha or the Moors and Happy Saint; since Palaces of the Sierra is accessed The Castle, Nava y Prado Banuelos.

In short, more places to discover that well justify a escape to this area of ​​the Burgos province.