Tradiciones y Costumbres. Camino de la Lana

Traditions and Customs. The Wool Road

Part of the series Traditions and Customs, this stamp commemorates the Wool Road, a sheep-herding route followed by shearers, shepherds, and traders dealing in wool and related products, between the major sheep-farming areas of La Mancha and Burgos, the hub of the wool trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. The route has long been associated with St James’ Way, with a documented pilgrimage in the spring of 1624, when Francisco Patiño, María Franchis and Sebastián de la Huerta began their journey in the village of Monteagudo de las Salinas.

The present-day starting points of the Wool Road are in distant cities like Alicante and Valencia, taking the roads along the eastern coast of Spain and passing through towns like Novelda, whose association is one of the main pioneers of the rebirth and recovery of this route in the contemporary period, to the province of Albacete, where towns like Caudete acquired importance as the points where different pilgrimage routes of south-eastern Spain came together, and Alatoz, the home of the association presiding over this province.

Crossing Cuenca, a province where the Jacobean tradition is deeply rooted, we come to the town of Monteagudo de las Salinas, the historic capital of this route, where visitors can see a monument on one of its promontories which alludes to the pilgrimage mentioned above, and the theme for this edition of the stamp. We pass through the city of Cuenca and its splendid cultural heritage, continuing northwards to Villaconejos de Trabaque, a place which is famous for its traditional warm welcome for pilgrims.

In Guadalajara province, we can find shelter in the flagship of pilgrim hostels in the village of Salmerón: a converted former mansion. The route takes us through towns and villages rich in historic heritage, such as Trillo and Cifuentes. The single variant of the route, which will return to the main one in the medieval town of Atienza, goes through Sigüenza, a town with a splendid cathedral and other beautiful buildings, and the village of Palazuelos, called “the little Ávila of Guadalajara” for its encircling fortified walls.

Soon after entering Soria province we come to Retortillo de Soria, where two porticoes and a 300 metre stretch of stone walls attest to its medieval past as a fortified town. We continue through the steep, winding valley of the river Caracena to the town of the same name, the proud home of the church of San Pedro, a gem of 12th century Romanesque architecture, a national historic heritage site and one of the emblems of this route. San Esteban de Gormaz is also notable, one of the largest towns in Soria with a rich heritage, including its castle, the largest in Europe.

Burgos welcomes us with plenty to enjoy, delighting the eye with towns like Santo Domingo de Silos and its beautiful monastery and a long list of other interesting sites, beginning with the surrounding countryside and the spectacular sight of the town as you approach on the hilltop path. Covarrubias is a monument in itself, with its perfectly preserved medieval appearance and atmosphere, and has been officially declared a “beautiful village of Spain”. Mecerreyes is a picturesque, welcoming village which treats pilgrims very well, offering a hostel of the finest quality in a restored building in the style of a traditional farmhouse.

The illustration on the stamp shows several characteristic elements of this route, such as sheep being herded, and the monument of a pilgrim’s backpack in Monteagudo de las Salinas.