At the end of the stage we arrive at Puerto Moral, a small town founded at the time of the repopulation of these lands with people from the Kingdom of León, around the 13th century, when this small church was built. It has been declared a Cultural Interest Property (BIC) and deserving of a stop on the way.
The Palace of the Marquis of Ayamonte is a notable 17th century building that served as a residence for the Marquises of Ayamonte, who also collaborated in the construction of the Franciscan Convent and the Church.
Completely restored, it now constitutes the studio of the Ayamonte painter Francisco Aguilera, the current owner of the building.
In the heart of Ayamonte we find the Casa Grande, a building constructed by D. Manuel Rivero in 1745, following the pattern of the Cadiz houses of the time. It has three floors and a beautiful Stone façade.
In the permanent exhibition hall, there is an exhibition of the Flemish Tables by Jan Sanders Van Hemessen (1500–1556), considered to be one of the best collections of Flemish paintings in Andalusia.
From the mouth of the Guadiana to that of the Guadalquivir, a chain of fourteen fortifications was built during the reign of Philip II, practically on the ocean shore.
Few of them have retained their original location as the coastline has changed, but near Isla Canela we find the Canales Tower, a living witness to those times.
Declared a Place of Ethnological Interest, this 18th Century dovecote is considered the largest in Europe, hosting around 36,000 pigeons in its heyday.
La Zúñiga Castle was built under royal licenses granted to Mr. Pedro de Zúñiga in 1417 and 1420, to defend the boat crossing of the Piedras River. This work was finished in 1428.
It is the best preserved of all the fortresses built on the Huelva coast.
It is not possible to enter the castle as it is only used to hold music festivals and cultural events.
In the upper part of Gibraleón, we find appreciable remains of an ancient castle, which corresponds to a fortress from the lower medieval age. It was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, to control the passage of the river Odiel. It was built on the foundations of a previous construction from the Islamic period.
Cycling along Huelva’s seafront, we find the mineral Wharf belonging to the Riotinto company. This is a commercial dock and harbour used for landing material from the mines of the “Río Tinto Company Limited”. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century on the Odiel river.
It was declared of Cultural Interest in 2003.
At the entrance to Huelva, EuroVelo 1 leads us under the Columbus Monument, 37 meters high and one of the most remarkable landmarks of the city of Huelva.
Built in 1929, it is located in Punta del Sebo, four kilometres from the urban centre, where the rivers Tinto and Odiel join. It is the work of the American sculptor Miss Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
Christopher Columbus stayed here before departing for the New World, while still preparing his project, and here is buried Martín Alonso Pinzón, who died just a few days after returning from Columbus’ first trip. Likewise, Hernán Cortés, Gonzalo de Sandoval and Francisco Pizarro arrived here on returning from some of their expeditions of conquest.
As we pass by this dock, we find the reproductions of La Niña, La Pinta and La Santa María, the caravels (sail ships) that were built in 1992 to celebrate the 5th Centenary of the Discovery of America and replicate the originals used by Christopher Columbus to make that legendary voyage.
This is the most prominent “colombino” monument in Moguer.
The Santa Clara Monastery is of Gothic–Mudejar and Renaissance architecture (14th–16th century).The church contains the marble and alabaster tombs of its founders; the one carved by Gian Gacome della Porta, a pupil of Michelangelo’s, is particularly worth noting.
Las Madres Cloister and its choir stalls are in the Nasrid–style.