the collapsed mountains of Las Médulas

We drove into the mountains on our way from León to Santiago to see Las Médulas, the site of an old Roman gold mine. The Romans had a unique way of mining gold; they’d dig tunnels into the mountainside and flood them with water until the mountains collapsed, then they’d dig through the rubble for the gold. Made for some interesting countryside, but it was too rainy and foggy to see much.

pilgrimage by horse

We did see these pilgrims on El Camino, however. It turns out that Las Médulas is on the The Way to Santiago, at least on the Horse Way.

a marker for El Camino de Santiago (The Way)

Note the marker that marks the trail. We’re seeing them everywhere now as we get closer to Santiago. What looks like the rays of the sun is actually the modern symbol for the scallop shell that represents St. James (Santiago). I feel the anticipation building!