Villablanca: Mudéjar, Dance and Festivals

Culture and Architecture

Villablanca is home to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Blanca, a building in the Mudéjar style. Its three naves are separated by polygonal pillars.

The Mudéjar design is thus directly linked to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Blanca. The polygonal pillars structure the interior, while the three naves determine the spatial layout of the Ermita.

The Iglesia de San Sebastián was built in the 17th century. It has a basilica-style floor plan with three naves. Its design includes broad arcades on Tuscan columns; the church also features a certain Mudéjar influence. Those interested in historic architectural forms will find a date, a floor plan and specific architectural details here within the same local setting.

Several clearly identified architectural features thus come together at San Sebastián: the basilica-style floor plan, the three naves, the broad arcades and the Tuscan columns. The certain Mudéjar influence complements this design without replacing the historical classification of the church, which was built in the 17th century.

Dance Tradition

The Danza de los Palos is a traditional dance from Villablanca. It is performed exclusively by men, always in an odd number.

The specification of an odd number is just as much part of the traditional form of the Danza de los Palos as its exclusive performance by men. This records the composition of the dancers as a distinctive feature of this dance tradition.

The Danza de los Palos consists of nine Mudanzas and is accompanied by flute and tamboril.

The nine Mudanzas and the accompaniment by flute and tamboril identify both the structure and the musical accompaniment of the Danza de los Palos. The dance tradition thus combines a set number of Mudanzas with flute and tamboril.

Annual Festivals

The Fiestas del Mercado take place every year on the third weekend of July in the Barriada del Molino.

The Fiestas del Mercado include exhibitions, food competitions and presentations of handcrafted products.

The combination of market, food and handicrafts defines the programme of the Fiestas del Mercado. Exhibitions are held alongside the food competitions and presentations of handcrafted products.

The Romería in honour of Our Lady of la Blanca takes place on the third Sunday in May near the Ermita. For the calendar, both the date in May and the specific day of the week are significant.

During the Romería, the festival huts are spread across the pilgrimage grounds in the pine forest.

The connection to the Ermita and the pilgrimage grounds in the pine forest is part of the Romería’s spatial character. The festival huts are not located at one single specified point, but are spread across the pilgrimage grounds.

Landscape

From the site of the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Blanca, the pine-forest landscape stretching towards the sea can be seen.

At this location, the landscape combines the surrounding pine forests with views reaching as far as the sea. The starting point of this visual connection is explicitly the site of the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Blanca.

Other places in this selection are Corterrangel, Las Delgadas, Linares De La Sierra, Cumbres De San Bartolomé, Higuera De La Sierra, San Juan Del Puerto, Villalba Del Alcor and Palos De La Frontera.

For the overarching travel overview: Huelva.