Hontoria de la Cantera

Municipality of Hontoria de la Cantera
	Hontoria de la Cantera - the townscape
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Burgos
Comarca :	Alfoz de Burgos
Coordinates	42 ° 11 ′ N , 3 ° 39 ′ W Coordinates: 42 ° 11 ′ N , 3 ° 39 ′ W
Height :	950 msnm
Area :	19.39 km²
Residents :	146 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	7.53 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	09351
Municipality number ( INE ):	09162
administration
Website :	Hontoria de la Cantera

Hontoria de la Cantera is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) belonging to the poorly populated Serranía Celtibérica with 146 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the Spanish province of Burgos in the autonomous region of Castile-León . Hontoria de la Cantera is one of the stations of the Camino del Cid and the Ruta de la Lana coming from the southeast ( Alicante / Valencia ) .

Location and climate

The place Hontoria de la Cantera is located in the headwaters of the Río de los Ausines at an altitude of about 950 m . The provincial capital Burgos is about 21 km (driving distance) to the north; the small but worth seeing place Covarrubias is about 21 km southeast. Despite the altitude, the climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 555 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2018
Residents	416	420	465	127	146

The mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lower demand for labor have led to a significant decline in the number of inhabitants since the middle of the 20th century.

economy

The place was and is largely agricultural, with cattle breeding and dairy farming dominating; wheat and barley are grown in some fields in the area. In the vicinity of the place there are several quarries (canteras) , in which the limestone for the construction of the cathedral of Burgos and other buildings in the region was extracted.

history

Although the Romans are said to have operated quarries here, there are no reports from the Visigothic and Islamic-Moorish times. The Castilian Count Fernán Gonzales conquered the region as early as the 10th century . The first mention of the place name Fontoria at that time is found in the founding document of the Oña monastery , which is about 80 km northeast . Shortly after the middle of the 11th century, the place fell to the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza , but the Bishop of Burgos also stretched his fingers to increase the property of the cathedral. Since the end of the 11th century, the manor over the place was in the hands of private landlords (señores) .

Attractions

San Miguel Arcángel Church

The Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel , built in the late 16th century and consecrated to the Archangel Michael , towers over the town. It is a Renaissance church, stabilized by buttresses , with two small but fine portals, the interior of which is designed as a three-aisled hall church with rib vaults . The late baroque altarpiece (retablo) is an eye-catcher .