Las Almunias de Rodellar (As Almunias or As Almunietas in Aragonese) is a village in the municipality of Bierge, in the Somontano de Barbastro comarca, Province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located in the Rodellar valley, within the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, at an elevation of 699 metres above sea level.
Historically, it belonged to the former municipality of Rodellar, which was incorporated into Bierge in 1970. The village retains examples of the traditional architecture of the valley and lies in an area characterised by the karst landscape and river canyons of the Sierra de Guara.
Toponymy
The traditional name of the village in the Aragonese speech of the valley is As Almunias. Philologist Jesús Vázquez Obrador derives the place name from the Arabic al múnya, meaning "orchard" or "farm".
Vázquez Obrador states that the earliest known documentary reference to Las Almunias is relatively late, dating from the 16th century. Antonio Durán Gudiol likewise records the settlement under the name Las Almunias and notes its ecclesiastical dependence on Rodellar.
The traditional toponymy of the surrounding area preserves numerous elements of the Aragonese lexicon. Among the place names documented by Vázquez Obrador in Las Almunias are Loma Buega, Monte San Juan, Paúl, Costeras, Ferreras, Sarrato, Terreros, Toscar, Compillón, Faja o Torno, Güerto largo, Suerte and Tozal d'o Vichar.
Geography
Location and relief
Las Almunias de Rodellar is located in the municipality of Bierge, in the Somontano de Barbastro comarca of the Province of Huesca. The village lies in the Rodellar valley, south of Rodellar, at an elevation of 699 metres.
The village is built on a hillside, with its buildings following the contours of the terrain. Between the settlement and the Alcanadre River lie areas traditionally used as farmland and vegetable gardens.
The Rodellar valley forms part of the Pre-Pyrenean limestone ranges of Guara. Geologically, limestone formations predominate in the Sierra de Guara, particularly the Eocene limestones of the Guara Formation, although softer terrigenous materials also occur in the Rodellar and Fabana valleys. The limestone geology of the area and the processes of karstification have shaped both the landscape and the circulation of surface and groundwater.
The incision of watercourses into the limestone formations has created rugged terrain characterised by ravines, narrow gorges and canyons, which are among the most distinctive features of the landscape in this part of the Sierra de Guara.
Hydrography
The Alcanadre River is the principal watercourse in the surroundings of Las Almunias and one of the main hydrographic axes of the Sierra de Guara. From the village, the land descends towards the river through former agricultural and grazing areas. Downstream, the river becomes confined once again between limestone walls, forming part of the canyon system characteristic of the Sierra de Guara.
Water circulation in this area is strongly influenced by the karstification of the limestone formations. Where watercourses cross these formations, they may lose discharge or receive water from springs as a result of underground water circulation.
Hydrochemical studies carried out in the Rodellar valley also document a watercourse named barranco de Las Almunias, included among the sampling points used in studies of the area's natural waters.
To the east of the village flows the Isuala River, also known as Balcés or Balced. Its canyon is separated from the Alcanadre valley by the sierra de Balcés. The route between Alquézar and Las Almunias now followed by the Camino Natural del Somontano crosses the river at the place known as Tranco de las Olas before ascending towards the collado de Las Almunias.
Natural environment
Las Almunias de Rodellar lies within the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park. The village is included in one of the compatible-use zones established under the protected area's management plan.
The surrounding territory also forms part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas in the Sierra de Guara and lies within the "Sierra y Cañones de Guara" Special Protection Area for birds.
The landscape around the village combines former agricultural and grazing areas close to the settlement with slopes covered by scrubland and woodland. This is complemented by the landscapes associated with the area's watercourses and the karst landforms of the limestone terrain, including the ravines, narrow gorges and canyons characteristic of the Sierra de Guara.
History
The date of the foundation of Las Almunias de Rodellar is unknown. The earliest known documentary reference identified by philologist Jesús Vázquez Obrador dates from the 16th century.
Within the historical ecclesiastical organisation of the valley, Las Almunias was a dependent church of the parish of Rodellar, together with Nasarre, Pedruel, San Hipólito and Ballabriga.
In 1646, Las Almunias had four households. Administratively, it belonged to the former municipality of Rodellar. In 1970, the voluntary merger of the municipalities of Bierge and Rodellar was approved by Decree 937/1970 of 21 March, creating a single municipality under the name of Bierge, with Bierge as its administrative centre. Las Almunias has formed part of the municipality of Bierge since then.
During the second half of the 20th century, Las Almunias underwent a marked process of depopulation, similar to that experienced by many settlements in the Sierra de Guara. This process also altered the traditional ways of life and mechanisms of cultural transmission in the valley.
Traditional economy
The traditional economy of Las Almunias was based primarily on subsistence farming, livestock raising and various occupations connected with the use of local natural resources. Occupations documented in the village included wooden-spoon maker, farmer, road worker, charcoal burner, shepherd and livestock dealer.
One of the most notable traditional crafts was the manufacture of spoons and other objects from boxwood, a material abundant in the Sierra de Guara. Spoon-making was passed down through some families for several generations and survived in Las Almunias until the late 20th century. A study of boxwood craftsmanship documents a miller and spoon-maker from the village who had learned the craft from his father and grandfather, indicating that the family tradition dated back at least to the beginning of the 20th century. His work was photographed in 1984 and filmed in 1994.
Charcoal production was another traditional use of the area's forest resources, alongside agricultural and livestock activities. The presence of road workers and livestock dealers among the occupations documented in the village also reflects the diversity of work undertaken by its inhabitants within a rural economy based on a combination of different activities.
Among the facilities associated with these activities was the flour mill of the Rodellar valley, situated beside the Alcanadre River. It used water channelled through a millrace diverted from the river. The millers lived in Las Almunias and travelled to the mill to work. During the 1940s, the hydraulic installation also began to be used to generate electricity for several settlements in the valley.
From the mid-20th century, the gathering of black truffles also provided supplementary income for local households.
Transformation of the village
The opening of the road between Bierge and Rodellar in 1931 changed both the traditional communications of the valley and the physical layout of Las Almunias. The new road passed through the built-up area, leaving some houses and the church above the road and other houses and the former school below it.
Subsequent depopulation during the second half of the 20th century considerably reduced the number of permanent residents and changed traditional patterns of occupation and use of the village buildings.
Economic transformation and tourism
During the final decades of the 20th century, tourism-related activities became increasingly important in the economy of Las Almunias de Rodellar, encouraged by its location in the Sierra de Guara and the growth of nature and adventure tourism in the surrounding area. This resulted in gradual diversification away from the farming, livestock raising and traditional occupations that had previously characterised the local economy.
Tourism development led to the establishment of accommodation and restaurant businesses. These include Albergue Las Almunias and the present-day Guara Inlukā hotel and restaurant, formerly known as Casa Tejedor. The latter continued operating under new management following the retirement of its previous owners, adopting the name Guara Inlukā.
Albergue Las Almunias is another accommodation establishment in the village and is documented alongside Casa Tejedor in tourism information for the Sierra de Guara.
Outdoor tourism is also an economic activity associated with the village. The Government of Aragon's register of active-tourism companies lists businesses in Las Almunias offering activities including canyoning, rock climbing, hiking, mountaineering, trekking, via ferrata routes and orienteering. Among the businesses associated with this sector is Expediciones, based in Las Almunias de Rodellar.
Alongside tourism, the village retains activities connected with livestock farming and food production. In 2000, the Quesos de Guara cheese dairy was established in Las Almunias through the conversion of a traditional sheep farm. The company produces sheep's and goat's milk cheeses, thereby maintaining an activity connected with the village's livestock-raising tradition.
Demography
At the beginning of the 20th century, Las Almunias had more than one hundred inhabitants. Its population was 104 in 1900 and declined overall during the following decades, to 74 inhabitants in 1920, 53 in 1950 and 43 in 1970.
The decline accelerated during the second half of the 20th century, and by 1981 the population had fallen to 19. The village subsequently maintained a small population, with 17 inhabitants in both 1991 and 2001 and 18 in 2004. It had 15 inhabitants in 2019 and 14 in 2024.
+ Population of Las Almunias de Rodellar 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001 2004 2019 2024 104 99 74 67 71 53 52 43 19 17 17 18 15 14
Heritage
Parish church of Santa María Obispo
The parish church of Las Almunias is dedicated to Santa María Obispo and stands in the upper part of the village. It is a vernacular building dating from the 17th century.
Historically, it was a dependent church of the parish of Rodellar.
Ermita de la Trinidad
The Ermita de la Trinidad is located southwest of Las Almunias, approximately two kilometres from the village, on a promontory on the left bank of the Alcanadre River. It is a rectangular building constructed of roughly dressed stone and masonry, with buttressed corners and a gabled stone-slab roof, partly renovated with traditional curved roof tiles.
The Sistema de Información del Patrimonio Cultural Aragonés dates its construction to between the 17th and 18th centuries. Ownership and maintenance of the hermitage have traditionally been shared by the villages of Las Almunias, Pedruel and San Saturnino.
Traditional architecture
The village retains various examples of the vernacular architecture characteristic of the Sierra de Guara and the Rodellar valley. Among its most recognisable features are the large traditional chimneys, some circular or truncated-conical in form, as well as stone doorways, wooden doors and coats of arms.
The layout of the village follows the contours of the hillside on which it stands. Traditionally, the farmland and vegetable gardens belonging to the village extended between the built-up area and the Alcanadre River.
Molino del Valle de Rodellar