Peralejos of the Trouts

Peralejos of the Trouts

In Spain, within the Alto Tajo Natural Park, there is a small town called Peralejos of the Trouts. It is a mountainous site, surrounded by three fabulous rivers, with rock outcroppings and charming flora and fauna.

Let's see today Peralejos de las Truchas and the offer of hiking, bird watching, hunting and fishing and mushroom picking, history and culture that offers..

Peralejos of the Trouts

peralejos

Some have been detected in the area. pre-roman settlements which lasted until the Middle Ages, so it is assumed that it has been inhabited for a long time. has always been associated with Royal Manor of Molina, founded as an independent lordship by Manrique Pérez de Lara, between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. The title was first linked to the King of Castile and then to the King of Spain, and lasted until it was abolished in 1813.

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This situation between Aragon and Castile occurred after the Christian reconquest, because although the Molina taifa was conquered by Alfonso I of Aragon, the area was repopulated by Castile, so the lands were in some dispute. The same was resolved by Manrique Pérez de Lara, Count and Lord of Lara, who got along well with both sovereigns, in 1138. And finally, after a century and a half of independence, the lordship of Molina remained in the hands of Castilla after some transfers within the nobility and thus, eventually, he was linked to the King of Spain.

The truth is that you have to keep in mind that these lands were very important in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries because it was the border with the Arab world, but even later, being the border between two important Christian kingdoms such as Castile and Aragon. When both crowns come together, the area takes flight and becomes richer, which translates into great urban development.

peralejos

But internal conflicts, the Thirty Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession turned these lands into battlefields again. This, plus the diseases that struck Spain in the XNUMXth century, caused the lands of the Real Señorío de Molina to lose wealth and people. In the specific case of the town of Peralejos de las Truchas had its best moment in the XNUMXth century, when its population almost reached a thousand inhabitants.

How many people reside here today? Around a hundred and a half (at least that's what the 2015 census says), but the numbers vary depending on whether it's winter or holidays, summer or long weekends when tourism arrives.

What to see and do in Peralejos de las Truchas

peralejos

We can start first with the town itself and its urbanism. There are two important squares around here. We have the Fountain Square, heart of the town's services, that is, where the church, the doctor and the town hall are.

The source to which it refers is the drinking water pipe that it has in the center. In the highest part of the square there is a hooker, as if watching over it, with a phrase paying homage to José Luís Sampedro: «The river that takes us«. The other square is Plaza Mayor which is the scene of all the popular festivals and the main meeting area.

La Church of San Mateo It is in the Plaza de la Fuente, and it was built in the XVI century but it had some modifications in the 1652th century. The portal, an arch with large voussoirs, dates from XNUMX. It contains three Romanesque-style naves distributed in four sections with ribbed vaults at the top.

Church of San Mateo, in Peralejos

In the main nave there are oil paintings from the Ribera school that represent eleven apostles, because Saint Andrew is missing, and Jesus, several altars, a Baroque altarpiece, a wood carving of the Virgin of Ribagorda, among others, and a wooden organ of the XNUMXth century. Everything quite well preserved. The church also has a beautiful garden and a bell tower with two holes waiting for a third bell. The bells serve as the clock for the entire town.

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In addition to its church, the town has some historic houses that follow the traditional style of these places. The construction is made of limestone masonry with white lime mortar that almost completely covers the stone, sometimes tuffaceous stone from the Tagus. The old houses around here are mostly between one and three stories high and not very big. The largest and highest quality ones belonged to the wealthiest ranching families of that time.

The church, squares and houses are easily found on a walking tour through the streets of Peralejos de las Truchas. You will also see the play areas of the population and schools. Now, it is time to leave the urban center and go out to the surrounding area, which is where the natural beauties that attract visitors all year round are hidden.

Trout fishing in Peralejos

First of all, people come to hunt and fish. The town has a fabulous environment for these two activities, always within the law. Here, as the name of the town indicates, you fish trout, but if we talk about hunting, the Alto Tajo area has Iberian deer, fallow deer or wild boar hunts as alternatives.

Continuing with the fauna trend, the area also has beautiful skies crisscrossed by birds. There's a lot raptors, such as golden eagles, a large colony of griffon vultures and also peregrine falcons.

If you like mushrooms and truffles here in peralejos de Truchas you can collect them. Of course, you must go through the town hall first and you must do it in autumn, which is the best season to collect mushrooms and truffles. In spring you can also but those in autumn are better. What types of truffles are here? Have black and white truffles.

hiking in Peralejos

And finally, many travelers come to hiking to enjoy the landscapes. There are many routes and for all levels so don't worry, you don't have to be a specialist to have a good time and enjoy yourself. The most famous routes are that of the Taravilla Lagoon and of The Horcajo Ravine, but the truth is that it is enough to leave the urban center a little to feel fully in the Alto Tajo Natural Park.

You can do the route HikingThat of mountain bikeThat of cyclingThat of all terrain, of motorail, of bicycle, of walk, of car, bikepacking, running, of canyoning, of gravel bike, of electric bike, horseback riding, the caving route, of kayak/canoe, of mountaineering, of climbing, of canicross or even the camel routeeither. The one you like most!

Hiking in Peralejos

Here the river runs through channels that take a thousand turns, transparent and strong, and you can watch it from any of the cliffs in the area. You can get to know the Taravilla lagoon which, although it actually belongs to Taravilla, the people of Peralejos also consider it part of their environment, or the path to the Martinete, the fabulous viewpoints or the stream of the dry sickle, «drystock«. there is also the chasm El Chaparral and Sima de las Grobias.

Finally, the area is also popular for the history of the hookers, a profession that, although it has disappeared since the beginning of the XNUMXth century, knew how to last five centuries. The gancheros, before the construction of roads and heavy transport, They were in charge of hauling logs from Peralejos de las Truchas to Aranjuez along the Taj riverbed.either. Dangerous work if any, the logs were taken loose and the men helped each other with a hook called a Bichero.

hooks

The gancheros were then strong men, with great knowledge of the river, and in three groups (front, middle and rear), they successfully covered the difficult route. The profession has died but the town remembers it with pride, the same as other towns in the Alto Tajo area, for this reason the festival that honors them is considered of Regional Tourist Interest.


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