Historical-Architectural Heritage

Located in the 'Paraje Natural Marismas del Río Piedras and Flecha del Rompido', the 'Real de la Almadraba' remained active from 1929 to 1963. This ancient complex of buildings was a town that came to house some 900 people, trappers and their families, dedicated to the capture of tuna or activities related to the exploitation of the trap.

Territory Organization:

Administration:

- Casa del Capitán, characterized by its square tower.

- Housing and office of the land manager.

Work and Storage Area:

- Embarcadero.

This iron bridge, which crosses the Piedras River, was the crossing area of ​​the railway line from Huelva to Ayamonte by Gibraleón whose route was as follows:

Huelva - Gibraleón – Aljaraque – Cartaya – Villablanca – Lepe - La Redondela - Isla Cristina - Ayamonte.

With a structure similar to the bridge of the Tinto dock, in Huelva, this bridge was built with the remains of an old train car in 1931. It is an engineering work of 80 meters in two 40-meter metallic sections to cross the Piedras River to the height of the place that gives the bridge its name.

These constructions are part of a complex installation of water collection and conduction of the XV and XVI centuries. There are two that can currently be visited, the Pilar de Mogaya and the Pilar de la Dehesa which, together with a third party that disappeared, the Pilar de la Mezquita, were traditionally places for supplying the Cartaya population and cattle for freshness and healthiness of its waters.

This church was built in 1956 by the Almadrabero Consortium. It was made with the bricks left over after the Real de la Almadraba was built. The almadraberos transported these bricks from one band to another in their own boats. In this task all the people participated.

In addition, the City of Cartaya, contributed an economic contribution of a quantity of 1000 of the old pesetas, destined to the works to be able to realize this small church.

They are industrial constructions of the S.XIX, of Mudejar origin, that are repeated along the margin of the Piedras River. There were three mills; Mill of Aceña or of the Bank, Mill of the Point of the Well and Mill of Legrete.

These infrastructures were an important part of the development of economic life in Cartaya. Of them, there is practically the living part of a tidal mill, the Molino de Legrete, whose milling capacity was four millstones.

The current building began to be built in 1575 and the process was completed in 1606. It is located in Plaza Redonda, the center of the municipality, and measures 42 x 19 m. It is one of the best illustrative exponents of Renaissance churches in Western Andalusia.

The whole construction, basically Renaissance concept, consists of three naves and flat head, made with Mudejar materials. The building fits within the simplifying artistic reaction against the decorative richness of the previous era.

The lighthouses are located in the coastal core of El Rompido with views of the town and the Natural Site of the Marismas del Río Piedras and Flecha de El Rompido.

The old lighthouse was built in 1861 on the project of Angel Mayo and came to mark the mouth of the Piedras River at the height of the arrow where the Punta del Gato was located.

The hermitage of Santa María de Consolación is one of the oldest historical buildings of the Villa de Cartaya. The building dates from the sixteenth century, and according to later documents, was founded by an Indian originally from Cartaya. It is a good example of the Andalusian Baroque with Mudejar contributions.

The current convent takes the place of another previous one built between 1624 and 1628, in which the congregation was located since the foundation of the monastery. Due to several earthquakes and windstorms throughout the eighteenth century the building was severely damaged. The construction of the new convent began in 1774 and ended in 1778, being promoted by the General of the Order Mercedaria Descalza, Fray Miguel Ramón de San José. Inaugurated in 1778, it had a relatively short life, since the friars abandoned it in 1835.

Of the castle it is only known that it was destroyed by the Dutch pirates in the sixteenth century. It had the shape of a square about thirty meters on each side and an interior surface of approximately 750 m2.

It was made based on stone blocks of different types from larger blocks of Islamic wall. It was accessed from the wall of the west flank and in its interior the rooms and spaces of diverse uses were distributed.

Its main function, apart from the defense of the inhabitants of the coastal town, was to control the passage of the estuary of the Ría del Piedras.