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| Cáceres, an intact survivor from the Middle Ages | Cáceres, an intact survivor from the Middle Ages |
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| Cáceres is the next major stop on the pilgrim camino to Santiago, a couple of days walk north of Mérida. Leaving Mérida you pass a huge Roman acqueduct that brought water into the city, and a few miles later the reservoir the Romans created to supply that water. | Cáceres is the next major stop on the pilgrim camino to Santiago, a couple of days walk north of Mérida. Leaving Mérida you pass a huge Roman acqueduct that brought water into the city, and a few miles later the reservoir the Romans created to supply that water. |
| Shortly afterwards the landscape becomes mildly less fertile, but a consolation was the pleasant surprise of seeing several lapwings tumbling in the sky overhead. They normally arrive in the North Pennine fells in April, and their slightly plaintive cry is one of the harbingers of spring. The area is also very underpopulated, with 10km and more between villages. And it was clearly once much wilder – one wayside cross is called "La Cruz de la nina muerta", after a shepherd who was apparently killed there by a wolf. | Shortly afterwards the landscape becomes mildly less fertile, but a consolation was the pleasant surprise of seeing several lapwings tumbling in the sky overhead. They normally arrive in the North Pennine fells in April, and their slightly plaintive cry is one of the harbingers of spring. The area is also very underpopulated, with 10km and more between villages. And it was clearly once much wilder – one wayside cross is called "La Cruz de la nina muerta", after a shepherd who was apparently killed there by a wolf. |
| Although almost always walking alone through this lovely countryside, one fairly constant companion was my shadow. He pops up shortly after breakfast, stretching far out into the distance to the north west, shortens and rises to meet you straight in front as noon approaches, and then lengthens again to the east through the afternoon, usually stooping and limping a little by now. | Although almost always walking alone through this lovely countryside, one fairly constant companion was my shadow. He pops up shortly after breakfast, stretching far out into the distance to the north west, shortens and rises to meet you straight in front as noon approaches, and then lengthens again to the east through the afternoon, usually stooping and limping a little by now. |
| Along the way the Roman road was occasionally marked by "miliarios", or huge milestones. Whoever made these clearly intended that they should last, and they have – although one or two have been incorporated into drystone boundary walls. Several more Roman bridges have also survived. | Along the way the Roman road was occasionally marked by "miliarios", or huge milestones. Whoever made these clearly intended that they should last, and they have – although one or two have been incorporated into drystone boundary walls. Several more Roman bridges have also survived. |
| Extremadura was the birthplace of a surprising number of the soldiers who conquered the New World. Keats' stout Cortés, who conquered Mexico (and who may have had eagle eyes, but he never used them to stare at the Pacific in wild surmise – that was the Andalucian Vasco Núñez de Balboa), Pizarro, the conquistador of the Incas, and Ñuflo de Chaves (conquistador of Bolivia) all came from Extremadura, as did Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, third Captain-General of the Indes, and son of the builder of the Storks' Tower. In many cases they were from noble but relatively poor families, and some of the wealth they plundered they brought back home to turn into sumptuous castles and palaces. Cáceres in particular benefitted from this sudden rush of money into a relatively poor area. | Extremadura was the birthplace of a surprising number of the soldiers who conquered the New World. Keats' stout Cortés, who conquered Mexico (and who may have had eagle eyes, but he never used them to stare at the Pacific in wild surmise – that was the Andalucian Vasco Núñez de Balboa), Pizarro, the conquistador of the Incas, and Ñuflo de Chaves (conquistador of Bolivia) all came from Extremadura, as did Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, third Captain-General of the Indes, and son of the builder of the Storks' Tower. In many cases they were from noble but relatively poor families, and some of the wealth they plundered they brought back home to turn into sumptuous castles and palaces. Cáceres in particular benefitted from this sudden rush of money into a relatively poor area. |
| Many towns and cities in the new world were named after places in Extremadura, including the capital of Chile, originally Santiago de Nueva Extremadura. | Many towns and cities in the new world were named after places in Extremadura, including the capital of Chile, originally Santiago de Nueva Extremadura. |
| Cáceres is really astonishing - an almost perfectly preserved mediaeval walled city completely surrounded by a fairly non-descript modern one. With 22 towers on its walls, seven gateways, and dozens of often slightly austere palaces, churches and other buildings, the World Heritage Site claims to be the most complete surviving mediaeval and renaissance city centre in the world. The walls include sections going back to the Roman city, and even to the celtiberians before them, while most of them were built by the Almohad dynasty of Moors, who ruled the city for nearly 500 years. The Torre de las Cigüeñas (Storks' Tower) is the only surviving tower inside the city. Isabella of Castille & Leon had ordered all the others to be pulled down when the town side with her niece in her disputed succession to the throne, but at her coronation in 1480 she allowed her supporter Diego de Ovando the right to build his tower. One of the loveliest palaces is the Casa de los Toledo-Moctezuma, partly built by Juan Cano Moctezuma, a son of the Aztec Emperor Montezuma's daughter Isabel. | Cáceres is really astonishing - an almost perfectly preserved mediaeval walled city completely surrounded by a fairly non-descript modern one. With 22 towers on its walls, seven gateways, and dozens of often slightly austere palaces, churches and other buildings, the World Heritage Site claims to be the most complete surviving mediaeval and renaissance city centre in the world. The walls include sections going back to the Roman city, and even to the celtiberians before them, while most of them were built by the Almohad dynasty of Moors, who ruled the city for nearly 500 years. The Torre de las Cigüeñas (Storks' Tower) is the only surviving tower inside the city. Isabella of Castille & Leon had ordered all the others to be pulled down when the town side with her niece in her disputed succession to the throne, but at her coronation in 1480 she allowed her supporter Diego de Ovando the right to build his tower. One of the loveliest palaces is the Casa de los Toledo-Moctezuma, partly built by Juan Cano Moctezuma, a son of the Aztec Emperor Montezuma's daughter Isabel. |
| Alan Sykes is the Guardian Northerner's arts expert and much more besides. You can read his first two reports from the camino here and here. Coming next: towards the high sierra south of Salamanca. There's a long way to go, so send him a cheering Tweet: @geltsdale | Alan Sykes is the Guardian Northerner's arts expert and much more besides. You can read his first two reports from the camino here and here. Coming next: towards the high sierra south of Salamanca. There's a long way to go, so send him a cheering Tweet: @geltsdale |
| After requests for a map of Alan's route - the Via de la Plata - we've found this one, which is copyright 2010 www.santiago-compostela.net, an excellent website which has lots of information on all the pilgrim routes. | After requests for a map of Alan's route - the Via de la Plata - we've found this one, which is copyright 2010 www.santiago-compostela.net, an excellent website which has lots of information on all the pilgrim routes. |
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