The landscape of Las Médulas looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Weirdly-shaped pinnacles, sheer cliffs and gaping caves, all carved out of rock that turns a bright orange colour in the sunset. It’s a panorama like nowhere else in Spain. Or anywhere in Europe for that matter!
And it’s an entirely man-made vista, created by Roman engineers in their search for gold. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and it’s not hard to see why.
So how did the Romans do it?
The search for gold
The Romans knew there was gold somewhere around here; it was one reason they conquered this part of Spain in the first place.
Fragments of gold, washed out of the rock and deposited in streams and rivers around the region, were the clue. Local tribes had been panning for gold well before Rome arrived in Spain.
By some clever detective work, the Romans followed the rivers upstream and worked out that Las Médulas was where it all originated. The problem then was getting the stuff out of the ground.
Yes, there was some gold near the surface. Roman mining engineers got that out relatively easily by digging channels into the rock surface, diverting water into them to dissolve the rock and then sieving the gold fragments out of the resulting mud.
But there was plenty more buried much deeper in the mountain, up to 100 metres (300 feet) down. Instead of digging a conventional gold mine to get at it, the Romans invented a technique which the writer Pliny described as ruina montium – literally, collapsing the entire mountainside.
The power of air and water
So how did ruina montium work?
First, the workforce – mostly forced labour – honeycombed the rock with shafts and galleries. So far, so normal, just like any other mine.
But here’s the really clever bit. Roman engineers brought water to the site through a network of canals which eventually zig-zagged for hundreds of kilometres across the landscape, an astonishing achievement in itself.
The water was then stored in lakes above the mine. When the digging was complete, some water was allowed to flow into the galleries to give the rock a good soaking and soften it up for what was to come.
The collapse!
Then the sluice gates were fully opened and the water roared in, compressing the air ahead of it as the galleries were completely flooded. Under the immense pressure of air and water, part of the entire mountainside collapsed.
Repeated time after time across the whole area of Las Médulas, that process created the unique landscape we see today. It was the largest opencast mine in the entire Roman empire. This video (with English voiceover and subtitles) shows you exactly how it was done.
OK, there was still plenty to do to get the gold out. The resulting slurry of rock and mud had to be panned in specially-built washing channels (agogae to the Romans) to retrieve the fragments of gold from amid the tons of rubble.
In the end, archaeologists think the Romans got about 5,000 kilos of gold out of Las Médulas during the 200 years or so it was in operation. After that, the place was abandoned, probably sometime in the 3rd century AD.
Nature took over and with the passing of the centuries, softened what must have been an absolutely devastated landscape. Now Las Médulas is covered with a carpet of oak and cultivated chestnut trees, gorse, heather and broom.
Fascinating fact!
Archaeologists estimate that the Roman system of canals brought 50-90 million cubic metres of water a year to the site. To visualise how much that was, I’m told an Olympic swimming pool contains around 2,500 cubic metres.
So if my maths are right, 50 million cubic metres is about 20,000 swimming pools. That’s an astonishing amount of water to bring to a site that rises to almost 1,000 metres above sea level at its highest point.
How to see Las Médulas
My recommendation – start at the Mirador (viewpoint) de Orellán which gives you an unbeatable grandstand view over the whole area. There are plenty of info boards here explaining exactly what you are looking at.
You can go underground too! Just behind the mirador is the entrance to one of the galleries excavated by the Romans. The tunnel is illuminated so you can see where you’re going.
You get given a crash helmet on the way in so you don’t bash your head on the low ceiling. At the end of the gallery, you emerge into a giant cave in the cliff face. There you’ll find another mirador with great views over the whole site. Price €4 per person (cash only).
Getting there
The Mirador de Orellán is at the end of a narrow twisting road that takes you up from the village of Carucedo. There’s a car park at the top (€4 for 4 hours) and then a steepish walk of around 600m on a tarmac path to the viewpoint itself.
TIP 1 – get there early or in the evening for the best light for photos, to avoid the heat in high summer, and to get a parking space if it’s busy!
TIP 2 – we were told that if you come in autumn when the leaves have fallen from the trees, the landscape is even more dramatic.
Check out my video of Las Médulas here:
Down in the valley
Once you’ve seen the panorama from above, head down to the little village of Las Médulas to see it from below. Leave your car in the car park on the outskirts of Las Médulas – don’t be tempted to drive into the village itself.
The Centro de Recepción de Visitantes runs guided tours around the area (recommended), but there are plenty of footpaths you can explore on your own. We followed the Senda de las Valiñas which takes you through woods of chestnut trees to the cave of La Cuevona (about 1km each way).
We stayed here:
At the excellent O Palleiro do Pe do Forno in the tiny village of Orellán itself, just five minutes drive from the Mirador. We ate there too and it was great!
The nearest town of any size is Ponferrada, just over half an hour away by car. Las Médulas is about 1 hour 40 minutes drive from the city of Léon and about 90 minutes from Lugo.
Public transport looks a little trickier. By rail from Léon to Ponferrada and then to Las Medulas/Carucedo by bus looks the best bet. Ponferrada is also about five hours from Madrid by train.
More Roman remains!
There are some fabulous Roman remains right across the Spanish peninsula. Not surprising – after all, the Romans were here for around 600 years, which is actually longer than modern Spain has existed as a country. Check out these posts:
- The best bits of Roman Spain
- 2,000 years of history in Cartagena
- How the Roman Alicante was saved from the bulldozers
- The Romans in Villajoyosa
© Guy Pelham