Hecho

The Valle de Hecho has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. The Selva de Oza and Guarrinza area holds the densest concentration of megalithic monuments in the entire Pyrenees — dolmens and stone circles, including La Corona de los Muertos at Oza, which has 120 stone rings. Excavations there have yielded up to 5,000 flint pieces, suggesting seasonal settlement.

The Romans cut one of their three Pyrenean roads through this valley — the Summo Pyreneo, linking Zaragoza with France — and substantial remains of bridges and retaining walls survive. The valley also carried early pilgrims heading to Santiago before the Somport pass became the main route.

In 833, the Carolingian count Galindo I Aznárez took control of the valley and founded the monastery of San Pedro de Siresa. He later donated the revenues of Hecho and the whole valley to that monastery. Up to 150 monks lived there, guarding a major library. The county of Aragonum — formed by Hecho and Canfranc — eventually grew into the Kingdom of Aragon.

Later, the valley's timber rafters became significant traders, granted free passage through cities by Fernando the Catholic in 1515 and by Carlos II in 1680. Napoleon's troops burned the villages in August 1808. During the 20th century, local people crossed into France for work and trade, and later sheltered those fleeing Nazi-occupied France.

The Romanesque church of San Pedro stands in the nearby village of Siresa — all that remains of a monastery that once held up to 150 monks and a substantial library. In Hecho itself, the ruins of the Fuerte de Ysil survive; the fort was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in April 2006.

Your own transport is the easiest option. One bus a day connects Hecho with Jaca, also stopping at the nearby towns of Ansó and Siresa.