Huelva Property - Zones and Maps - Huelva City Area
Towns and Villages
- Huelva
- Moguer
- Palos de la Frontera
- Mazagon
Map of Huelva City and area
Famous for its links with Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America, this part of the province contains the capital, Huelva. An interesting and little visited provincial capital, the atmospheric streets of Huelva make a refreshing change from the modern seaside developments elsewhere along the coast in the province. Huelva y Lugares Columbinos also contains the fascinating town of Moguer and the famous Palos de la Frontera from where Columbus set sail in 1492. On the coast south of Huelva itself is the resort of Mazagón with its magnificent stretch of sandy beach.
Huelva
The largely undiscovered provincial capital is rich in history and has a unique and captivating atmosphere. Originally a Phoenician settlement, Huelva later became the Roman colony of Onuba. Located at the mouths of the Río Tinto and the Río Odiel, Huelva is virtually an island surrounded by marshy ground, water and sea. This means that Huelva is a successful port used both by fishermen and by boats exporting metal from the Río Tinto mines. Huelva’s shrimps are famous throughout Spain and renowned for their quality. In the 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, Huelva itself was also badly damaged and as such, much of the town appears modern.
Traditionally associated with the discovery of America, Huelva’s links with the sea give the city its character. On the 3rd of August, 1492, the Columbus set off from the docks that were once located in nearby Palos de la Frontera. To the south of Huelva where the two rivers meet is a huge statue of Columbus given to Huelva by an American sculptress in the early 20th century.
The Convent of the Merced is one of the few pre 18th century buildings to have survived, it was founded in 1605 and its church, which was built in the 1700’s has been used as Huelva’s cathedral since the 19th century. Other buildings of note include the Gran Teatro, the art nouveau Clínica Sanz de Frutos and the neo-Moorish railway station. Huelva’s characteristic symbol can be seen at the south of the town where the now unused Río Tinto pier stands. This imposing construction of decaying iron work was built in 1874 and designed by a British engineer. The centre of Huelva consists of well kept streets built on a grid, rising over a gentle slope. The Avenida Martín Alonso Pinzón is the main thoroughfare running through the northern part of Huelva and it is characterised by the fascist arcading which lines the street. Near here is the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, an excellent museum displaying fascinating finds from the Río Tinto in its archaeological section. In the art section of the museum, there are paintings from the 16th through to the 20th century. North of this museum is a residential area known as the Barrio Inglés which was constructed by the British in the early 20th century in order to house their employees in the Río Tinto mines. The architecture in this suburb is distinctively British, except that the houses have been painted in bright primary colours making an unusual sight.
Huelva is a largely industrial city and the area to the south of the city is an ugly collection of factories and industrial units. To the south of the centre there is a lively outdoor market which is held in the mornings where you can buy anything from fresh produce, meat and fish to leather goods, cloth and toys.
Just north of Huelva is the Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cinta. A pilgrimage is made here on the 8th September each year.
Beginning in July and running into August, Huelva hosts the Fiestas Colombinas, celebrating Huelva’s connections with America. From the 3rd to the 8th of September, the Fiestas de la Cinta is held and includes horseback displays and horse races.
A sprawling town of 140,000 people, Huelva is a bustling, lively place. There are plenty of amenities including cinemas, schools, supermarkets, shops and libraries, although there is only one internet café in the city. Due to the estuary formed by the rivers Odiel and Tinto, Huelva can only be reached by following main roads. The E01 dual carriageway runs from Huelva to Sevilla, 80km to the east and the new dual carriageway runs from the north of Huelva to Portugal, 55km west. The train line that runs through Huelva connects with Seville and Madrid. The nearest airports are at Seville and at Faro, 110km away.
Palos de la Frontera
Standing on the banks of the Río Tinto estuary, Palos is now known as the “cradle of the America’s”. Columbus set off on his first journey to the America’s from here on the 3rd August 1492, returning to the same place the following May. Palos receives most of its visitors due to its associations with Columbus. Today it is a town of 7000 people, a rather featureless place that has been heavily modernised and stands on the opposite bank of the Río Tinto to Huelva. Just before he set off, Columbus went to mass at the 15th century parish church of San Jorge. Columbus is supposed to have sailed from the bay just below the parish church and there is a medieval wall next to the bay known as “La Fontanilla”. A small, unattractive park was built around this in 1992 as part of the quincentenary celebrations.
Palos’s main street is known as Calle Colon (Columbus Street) and on this street is the house in which Martín Alsono Pinzón, who accompanied Columbus on his first voyage, lived. This house stands out against the others in the village and is now a museum. The Avenida de América, on the outskirts of Palos, is lined with decorations cataloguing all the countries of the Americas. Near Palos is the famous monastery of La Rábida, set in a forest of pines with well manicured gardens. It was in this 15th century monastery that Columbus spent a lot of time before first travelling to the America’s. The monastery is a delightful place, its colourful garden contains exotic flowers and palm trees. Palos is 14km by road from Huelva.
Moguer
One of the most fascinating towns in the southern Huelva province, Moguer sits prettily above its surroundings of wheat fields, fruit orchards and olive groves. Located near to the Río Tinto estuary, Moguer became a prosperous place through both agriculture and maritime activity. Many people active in colonizing the New World came from Moguer, including Juan and Pedro Alonso Niño who were captain and pilot of one of Columbus’s ships. There is a ruined medieval castle near Moguer, although other monuments have survived somewhat better, including the convent of Santa Clara which dates from the 14th century. It served as a convent until the 19th century and is now a museum that can be visited with a guide. There is a 15th century monastery in Moguer, which was responsible for sending numerous missionaries to the America’s from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The town also contains a 16th century parish church and a neoclassical town hall.
Moguer produced one of the most important Spanish poets of the 20th century, Juan Ramón Jiménez. The tranquil town with its stylish but crumbling white houses inspired the poet in his work and extracts from his most famous book, “Platero y yo” can be seen on various ceramic plaques that adorn the buildings and monuments in the town which appear in his book. The house in which Juan Ramón was born is now a museum.
Moguer is famous for producing delicious pastries and a sweet wine known as Vino de Naranja or orange wine. A town of 13,000 people, Moguer has numerous bars, restaurants and shops catering to locals as well as to the numerous visitors that come here. Moguer is 13km from Huelva by road.
Mazagón
Heading south from Huelva, following the coast, the area is heavily industrialised and the coastline is protected from the sea by the Isla de Saltés for some 10km. The seaside resort of Mazagón comes as a pleasant surprise after all this industrialisation. A pleasant, low key seaside resort with a huge beach, Mazagón’s huge car parks fill up in the height of summer as crowds of mostly Spanish tourists converge on the town’s sand. Out of season, Mazagón is a very quiet place. There are a number of bars, restaurants, banks and a small library in Mazagón, along with an internet shop although there are no large supermarkets, the nearest being at Huelva, 20km away. There is a leisure harbour in the town for water sports enthusiasts. A large, open air market is held in the summer on Fridays when numerous vehicles turn up and sell their wares to tourists.