Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Riotuerto
Riotuerto, also known as Rituerto, is a village in the municipality of El Cubo de la Solana.
This small locality has experienced cycles of depopulation and repopulation throughout its history. It was uninhabited in the 15th century, but subsequently repopulated. In the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a new depopulation, but this was rectified in the following century. Despite the fluctuations in population, the number of residents has remained at approximately 20 since the end of the 16th century until the mid-20th century. Subsequently, it starts to decline until it is almost non-existent.
To reach Riotuerto from Almarail, it is necessary to cross the river of the same name via a bridge. This bridge was constructed using modern techniques and materials, including concrete beams. However, a hundred metres downstream of this point, there is an old infrastructure structure (16th-17th c.) which was left in place halfway across the river following interventions to ensure that the river floods did not inundate the area. The military airfield, constructed during the Civil War, is located approximately one and a half kilometres northwest of the hamlet of Riotuerto.
In 1991, the Duero River Basin Authority initiated a study to regulate the upper Duero through the construction of reservoirs. One of the proposed sites was the Velacha reservoir, which would occupy 7,000 ha of the villages of Ituero, Sauquillo de Boñices, Almarail, Villanueva de Zamajón, Valdespina, Riotuerto, Zamajón, Cubo de la Solana, Paredesrroyas and Tejado.
In 2000, the village was purchased in its entirety by a businessman. The original plan was to refurbish the property to create a tourist centre, but this idea was unsuccessful. In 2010, the property was put up for rent to buy.
The hamlet boasts two notable buildings: the parish church of Santiago Apóstol, a Romanesque structure, and the Romanesque Chapel of Riotuerto, situated near the village on the banks of the river Duero.
Another noteworthy symbol to explore is the statue of an elephant. Two villages in Soria are home to examples of this type of work: The towns of Riotuerto and San Gregorio both have life-size figures of the animal.
As members of the Concordia de la Virgen de la Llana de Almenar, the people of Rituerta attend the pilgrimage, which takes place every twenty-five years at Pentecost. Additionally, they are members of the Concordia de la Virgen de la Fuente in Gómara. However, it should be noted that this pilgrimage was last celebrated in 1937.