Spanish Gems: Las Médulas

One unique area we were able to visit in Spain was Las Médulas.  This is an area near Ponferrada in León, and it is the sight of ancient Roman gold mines.

It reminded me a little of Sedona, Arizona, with the brilliant-colored rocks shooting up toward the sky.

We first went to the village of Las Medulas and began to get glimpses like these:

Dawn Inskip Painted Page mask and Wendyzine ClusterIt Collage (above)
After wandering around the little hamlet and grabbing a bite to eat, we drove up to the mirador (scenic viewpoint) parking area, and walked the remainder of the way to the top (under the broiling  sun).

We were eventually rewarded with views like these:



The opening of the cave was just across the viewpoint, and the entrance was right behind us.  We  would have LOVED to have entered, but the passageway was closed for another hour and a half...  There's no way we wanted to wait around in that heat until it re-opened.



From my understanding, the Romans used a mining technique to excavate then flood interior portions of the mountain.  The flooding created pressure that caused the mountain to fissure, making the deposits more accessible.  This mining is what created the shape of the landscape here.

There is a lot of area to explore on foot, but unfortunately, we just didn't have the time to see it.

Las Médulas has been a UNESCO world heritage sight since 1997.

Here's a layout I made using Foxeysquirrel's kit, Castellum.