Hinojales: Church Art, Hiking Trails and Living Local History

Church Art from Several Centuries

Hinojales is home to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Consolación. The Andalusian Gothic-Mudejar parish church dates from the late 15th century and is considered a Bien de Interés Cultural by the Consejería de Cultura of the Junta de Andalucía. Its square floor plan and three naves give the church a clearly definable form.

The frescoes in this church were discovered beneath the whitewash in 1967 and have been restored. They are dated approximately to the period between 1490 and 1530 and divided into the groups “Maestro Gótico” and “Maestro Cuatrocentista de Hinojales.” The motifs include the empty tomb, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, the Last Supper and the Resurrection of Christ. There are also murals of several saints, including Thomas Aquinas, Bartholomew and Catherine. This connects the church architecture with a cycle of biblical scenes and depictions of saints.

Hiking between Trails and Water

Hinojales’s municipal hiking trail network comprises seven named routes: Hinojales-Camino Maragatos, Hinojales-Cueva del Moro, Hinojales-El Cerro Gordo, Hinojales-El Silo-La Corte-Hinojales, Hinojales-La Corte-Abrevaero-Hinojales, Hinojales-Rivera de Hinojales and Hinojales-Sierra el Rey. On the Maragato route, the distance to the Ribera de Hinojales is approximately 5,600 m; the difficulty level is moderate. The approximate distance and moderate difficulty provide a specific planning framework for this route.

La Ribera includes old paved paths between mature trees and stone walls. La Ribera is a tributary of La Ribera de Huelva. This landscape includes water, dehesas, land and aquatic animals, amphibians and birds; this biological diversity is associated with the Sierra Morena, particularly the Parque Natural Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche.

Memory, Patron Saint and Ritual

The Ruta de la Paz leads in Hinojales to places that were of great importance to the town during the Spanish Civil War. At marked points, the route uses signs and QR codes through which information about the route and the individual points can be accessed. The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Tórtola is a small Baroque-style building. The ritual Danza de la Virgen de la Tórtola documented in Hinojales in honor of the patron saint was associated with collecting the Virgin on April 30, the church service and municipal procession on May 1, and her transfer to the hermitage on the last Saturday in May. A performance by two groups with an odd number of dancers is also documented: nine adult dancers and seven children, with palillos. The dates mentioned place the collection, church service, procession and transfer in chronological order.

Further places: Corterrangel, Moguer, Encinasola, Paterna Del Campo, El Granado, Arroyomolinos De León, Jabugo, Minas De Riotinto.

For the overarching travel overview: Huelva.