Aldeanueva de Cameros: Churches and Dinosaur Footprints

Aldeanueva de Cameros offers two distinct perspectives on its sights: architectural history represented by churches and traditional architecture, and palaeontological traces at the Vuelta de los Manzanos site. During your stay, you can explore architectural forms and their history, or footprints from the Mesozoic Era.

Church architecture and traditional architecture

At the centre of Aldeanueva de Cameros stands the parish church, Iglesia parroquial de Santa María del Valle, a building constructed of masonry in the 16th century. Its rectangular floor plan and nave divided into three sections provide two clear points of reference for its design. It also has a ribbed vault with tierceron ribs above pointed arches supported by pilasters. The description thus links the building’s basic form and layout with the forms of the vault and its supporting elements.

The Ermita de Santa Ana lies about 200 metres above the village. The Baroque building is made of ashlar and masonry; its architectural features include a dome on pendentives and round arches. The nave has a lunette vault. The ermita was apparently rebuilt in the last quarter of the 18th century. This date is expressed with due caution, while the details of its style and architectural forms identify the chapel as a distinct architectural highlight alongside the parish church.

A comparison of the two churches reveals different emphases: at Santa María del Valle, the focus is on the rectangular floor plan, the three-part layout, and the ribbed vault. At Santa Ana, the Baroque style, dome on pendentives, and lunette vault shape the description. A group of traditional buildings is also among Aldeanueva de Cameros’s sights. It broadens the focus beyond individual churches to traditional building styles in the village.

Footprints at Vuelta de los Manzanos

The Vuelta de los Manzanos site is located on the access road to Aldeanueva de Cameros, a few metres from the village centre. Around 50 footprints of bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs can be seen there, along with some traces of herbivores. One track may also belong to a crocodile. This tentative attribution contrasts with the clearly identified dinosaur footprints.

The footprints date from the Mesozoic Era and are more than 100 million years old. They formed in a marshy area and were shaped by later geological movements. The site therefore brings together two aspects: traces of different animals and the geological development that has influenced their present form. The different attributions also make the site interesting for comparison: alongside numerous bipedal carnivore tracks, herbivore traces and possibly a crocodile track are also mentioned.

Together with the churches and the group of traditional buildings, these sights offer a visit that distinguishes architectural history from Earth’s history rather than conflating them. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip to Aldeanueva de Cameros, these themes can help you plan the focus of your stay.

Festivities for Santa Ana

The local festivities in honour of the patron saint Santa Ana take place on 26 July. If this date is important for your travel plans, check it again before you travel.

Discover more destinations: Lagunilla del Jubera, Zorraquín, Peciña, Zarratón, Viniegra de Abajo, El Cortijo, Navarrete, El Horcajo.

Back to the regional travel overview: La Rioja.