Cabezuela del Valle

The story of Cabezuela del Valle reaches back well before the Middle Ages. Near the Puerto de Honduras pass, archaeologists found a decorated stele carved with a shield, sword, lance and mirror — an object now held in the provincial museum of Cáceres and dated to somewhere between the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age.

The town's medieval layout still shapes the streets today. The original settlement, called La Aldea, was founded on a small hilltop, and the town gradually spread down the slopes until the banks of the Jerte river stopped it. The result is a steep, labyrinthine network of streets and shadowy alleyways — the Calleja de la Cárcel and the Portal Viejo among them — that still carry the imprint of their medieval design.

Under the old regime, Cabezuela formed part of the Tierra de Plasencia and was in fact two separate settlements: Cabezuela, which corresponds to today's old town, and Vadillo, a distinct municipality to the northeast that is now only partly built up. During the Middle Ages, Cabezuela was home to a significant Jewish community with the standing of an aljama and considerable economic weight. By a certain point the community had outgrown its space, and some families moved to nearby towns such as Jerte and Tornavacas.

Vadillo's independent existence proved short. The First Carlist War effectively ended it: in 1837 its residents abandoned the village. Cabezuela itself saw violence during that conflict — a night-time exchange of fire between absolutists and liberals in December 1833, followed by a Carlist uprising in the town in 1834.

Cabezuela's historic centre stands out from other towns in the valley because of its unusual triangular street plan rather than the typical linear layout. The whole area is a declared historic-artistic ensemble.

The main street runs parallel to the river and breaks into three sections — Calle del Puente, the central plaza, and Calle del Hondón — with an ornate stone cross at the far end. This is where the town's most substantial buildings stand, many with ashlar stone façades bearing noble coats of arms, symbols, monograms and religious inscriptions. The town hall is one of them: its balcony holds a niche with a bust of José María Muñoz, a philanthropist of the previous century considered a notable local figure, and the building is topped by a slender clock turret. On one side of the plaza, a long arcade shelters an animated Friday market.

The parish church of San Miguel Arcángel occupies the site of the former Jewish synagogue, which was handed over to the town council by royal grant in 1494. It is a single-nave building divided into four bays, reinforced on the outside by five buttresses that correspond to transverse arches inside. At the west end there is a choir loft; at the east, a fully gilded baroque altarpiece of considerable artistic quality, made by the Castilian woodcarver Juan de Arenas between 1681 and 1683. The bell tower attached to the building is older than the rest of the church. The town also has several baroque hermitages, the most important being that of the patron saint, the Virgen de Peñas Albas, notable for its altarpiece, the vault paintings, and the image of the Virgin herself.

One further stop worth making is the Museo de la Cereza, housed in a restored traditional Vera-region farmhouse. It traces the history of cherry cultivation through interactive displays and recreations, and carries information about the Cerezo en Flor festival, which holds the status of a National Tourist Interest event. The museum belongs to the Extremadura Identity Museums network.