Mogarraz

Mogarraz was founded during the medieval repopulation of the Sierra de Francia by the Leonese kings, and from 1213 it formed part of the territory of Miranda del Castañar, created that year by King Alfonso IX of León. When Spain reorganised its provinces in 1833, Mogarraz was placed in the province of Salamanca within the Leonese Region, where it has remained ever since. The town was once one of the few communities with a converso Jewish quarter.

By the mid-19th century its population stood at 989; today it is far smaller, and in response to the emigration of the 1960s the village has mounted an outdoor exhibition of 388 painted portraits — faces of residents who stayed — displayed on the facades of the houses they once lived in.

The traditional architecture is the first thing to take in: timber-framed facades filled with stone masonry, typical balconies, and symbols carved into the stonework. The street plan itself reflects Arab and Jewish influences. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves has a Latin cross floor plan, a baroque altar, and a bell tower that rises above the rooflines. The oval Plaza Mayor was historically used for bullfighting. There is also a hermitage and spring at the Humilladero, and an ethnographic museum — the Casa de las Artesanías — displaying local crafts including gold work, leatherwork, embroidery, and traditional dress. The Sierra de Francia embroidery tradition is particularly well regarded in the region.

Outside the village, the Camino del Agua is a circular walking route of around 9 km through the valley of the Río Milanos, passing through Monforte de la Sierra and back to Mogarraz. The path crosses the Río Bocino on the Bocino footbridge and the Arroyo Milano on the Molinos and Pontón bridges, with water a constant presence throughout. Along the way there are several outdoor artworks: two metal cages called *K'oa* by Salamanca artist Miguel Poza; *Serena* by Virginia Calvo, a figure of a nymph with a raised tail set among the trees; *Cruz de Mingo* by Florencio Maíllo; and metal chairs by Manuel Pérez de Arrilucea. A viewpoint on the route offers a broad view over Mogarraz and the surrounding valley.