Fuenteheridos: Springs, Festivals and Cultural Heritage

Fuenteheridos lies in the centre of the Sierra de Aracena y los Picos de Aroche Natural Park. In the town centre, the Fuente de los Doce Caños is located next to the Plaza del Coso. The spring has twelve outlets and supplies around two million litres of water every day for the town's water supply and garden irrigation. The Múrtiga River also rises at the Fuente de los Doce Caños.

Water and Trails

The Paseo de los Poetas was designed as a place for walking and relaxing. Along the route, visitors can see restored irrigation channels, cascades and ponds. The “lievas” distribute the water from the Fuente de los Doce Caños throughout El Ejido, La Canal and Navalonguilla.

Culture and Townscape

The Iglesia Parroquial del Espíritu Santo is an 18th-century neoclassical church that was rebuilt after the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. Fuenteheridos has narrow, paved streets and houses in a vernacular style. Together, they form a harmonious, unified group classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest.

The Cruz de mármol stands in the Plaza del Coso. It is a monumental cross made from the materials known from the quarries of Fuenteheridos and dates from May 1792. The Humilladero de la Verónica is a small open-air oratory of the humilladero type; a bust of Christ is located in a small niche.

The Púlpito del Espíritu Santo is a votive shrine dedicated to the Holy Trinity, situated in a small square next to the church’s front façade. Its design clearly reflects the style of an open-air pulpit. At the Museo del Léxico Serrano, a graphic display presents the vocabulary and typical expressions of the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche. The museum can be visited during the town hall’s opening hours. The Museo de Fuenteheridos hosts temporary exhibitions, conferences, discussions and lectures.

Festivals and Religious Customs

The Feria de la Castaña has been held continuously in Fuenteheridos since 1983. After the chestnut harvest has been completed, it features activities, games and tastings centred around the chestnut.

The Fiesta del chopo is one of Fuenteheridos’ oldest celebrations and takes place on the Saturday after Corpus Christi. During this festival, participants go to the poplar grove on the banks of the Múrtigas, cut down the poplar and carry it to a square in front of the parish church.

The Romería de la Reina de los Ángeles traditionally includes a pilgrimage by the residents of Fuenteheridos to the Santuario de La Reina de los Ángeles. During this romería, the “Sin Pecado” is carried in an ox-drawn cart. During the procession of the Virgen de la Fuente, the image stops at the Fuente de los Doce Caños, where the water is blessed.

As part of the Quema de los Judas, many families make cloth effigies in the days beforehand and display them on balconies and doors.

Nature and Excursions

The Sendero Fuenteheridos–Galaroza–Castaño del Robledo hiking trail is classified as difficult because of its length. Villa Onuba is a former country house belonging to Guillermo Sundheim, who promoted the development of mining in Huelva. It includes a botanical garden with centuries-old Himalayan cedars, cedars of Lebanon and giant sequoias.

Other destinations: San Juan Del Puerto, La Nava, Valdelarco, Puebla De Guzmán, Puerto Moral, Minas De Riotinto, Hinojales, El Granado

To the main travel overview: Huelva.