Guiding the groups in the city of Cadiz and its surroundings, quite a few tourists look at the symbolic scallops tiles that marks the way to Santiago de Compostela and ask me how can one do “the camino” from here.
Therefore, I will address the subject today to honor the Saint’s day, but not before recommending to read one of the previous posts in which I delve more about the figure of the apostle: https://dejateguiarporcarolina.com/en/saint-james-the-apostle/
“All roads lead to Rome”, thereafter to Santiago…
Down to the south of the Spanish peninsula, there are three Jacobean routes:
- the Mozarabe route (from Malaga, going through Granada, Jaen, Cordoba and Almería, linking to De la plata route)
- Augusta route
- De la plata route
Let’s focuse on the two most interesting to us.
Augusta route:
Originally, a Roman road of more than 1.500 kilometers, the longest of all Hispania. The main axis of communications and road network.
It traveled the Mediterranean coast, from the Pyrenees to Cadiz.
“Augusta Julia route” was it original name to honor the emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus, interveners of its construction at the end of the first century BC.
Currently known as the Camino from Cadiz to Seville that connects with the Vía de la Plata to Santiago de Compostela.
It consists of 170 kilometers divided between 7 to 10 stages.
De la plata route:
An ancient Roman roads too, was a set of roads that linked the southwest with the northwestern peninsula.
In its central section we find the road “Iter Ab Emerita Asturicam” that connected two important Roman towns: “Emerita Augusta» (Mérida) and “Asturica Augusta” (Astorga)
After the fall of the Roman Empire, their roads were used by the Arabs and later Christians, pilgrims that walked these paved roads to go to venerate the holy Apostle’s tomb.
It consists of a total of 960 kilometres divided into some 26 stages.
One step to “the Camino” in Jerez de la Frontera…
A year ago, just like today, the association Jacobea of Jerez de la Frontera named “Sharish” inaugurated the first official landmark of the Camino Ceretano from the Via Augusta to Santiago de Compostela.
The idea was born shortly after the creation of this association, with the idea of placing Jerez on the world maps of the roads to Santiago. This would honor the fact that some sources claim that the apostle entered Cadiz and passed through Jerez.
To this end, the association outlined two routes:
- the Alfonsino route, inside the city walls, travels the ancient churches built by the Castilian King Alphonse the X.
- The Patroness route, outside the city walls, all the way to the same Saint James church.
Both routes connect with the norther exit of Jerez, through Morabita road, which formerly divided the ager of Asta Regia and Ceret, arriving to Gibalbín next to the Cuervo.
In the nearby Mesas de Asta municipality, the platform by Asta Regia inaugurated two landmarks months earlier, which would form the next stops after the ceretano’s.
As a curiosity, this milestone hiddes a time capsule, which contains among other things: sherry wines from Bodegas Tradición, the “Diario de Jerez” newspaper of the inauguration day, an informative document with data on the realization of the monument and the inauguration act, and a historical memory of the entity.
And that’s the end of my little tribute to the Patron Apostle of Spain, the common factor of thousands of stories shared by pilgrims along these ancient peninsula routes.
And as you already know, don’t miss the chance to visit this and let me know, I’ll be happy to guide you. Take a look at the tours and services section to choose the one you like best, otherwise, relax, we will create it just for you. Follow me for much more on my social media.
THANKS!
