La Pesquera

A village in the Cabriel valley

La Pesquera lies in the south-east of the province, in the Cabriel valley, within the Biosphere Reserve. It is one of the mildest and driest villages in the atlas. After the conquest of Cuenca in the 12th century, it became part of the Land of Cuenca and lived from farming, livestock and woodland. The village retains whitewashed rubble-stone houses, wrought-iron grilles and pitched roofs.

The church of La Purificación, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, has a timber ceiling and a bell gable. On the square stands the Venta del Pesquete, a posting house on the old royal road from Madrid to Valencia.

What trades and memory tell

In the municipality’s pine forest, a paved stretch of Roman road survives with three contemporary culverts that still carry water away. Near the Contreras reservoir, the Rambla Salá has saline springs and remains of saltworks.

Towards the Cabriel, the valley bottoms have vines, olive trees and almond trees. The area of Los Molinillos holds the memory of the Manco de La Pesquera, described by a popular-history writer as an anti-Franco guerrilla; nothing more is said about him.

Coal and salt

In 1845, a coal mine was discovered in the Fuente de la Higuera ravine. In 1849 Madoz reported that a company had worked it since then, with little profit.

Between La Pesquera and Minglanilla lay the Santo Cristo de la Salud salt concession, which ended in litigation with the authorities. In April 1878, the Gaceta published the decree of 22 March overturning the order that had declared the concession invalid and required its title to be withdrawn.

Routes

The PR-CU 57 (short-distance trail), Sendero de El Pajazo, leaves the village eastwards. After about 6 km it enters a dense pine forest and the surface becomes paved: this is the Roman road. A viewpoint overlooks the Contreras reservoir, and the path descends to the culverts and the shore. Return the same way.

Plan your visit

Walk around the village and square, and allow a morning for PR-CU 57.

Before you travel

The road and culverts are historic remains: do not walk on the walls or move stones. Carry water: in summer the pine forest and the descent to the reservoir are hot.