Las Navas de Tolosa

The Las Navas de Tolosa site was a bit disappointing. Unlike the American obsession with the “hallowed ground” of military conflict, the most significant battle sight of the Spanish Middle Ages is largely unmarked. That is not entirely true; there is a fairly run-down village named Navas de Tolosa at the approximate location of the battlefield. There is also a memorial, from the Franco era, commemorating the victory (though on the modern road, not necessarily on the battlefield).

The actual sight itself has been a matter of some debate. The geography, however, limits the options: the region is just beyond the Despeñaperros Pass through the Sierra Morena, and is in very hilly countryside. The cow pastures surrounding the village are the only real plains (Navas) around. There are also the remains of a Muslim-built watch tower that the Christians renamed the Castillo de Las Navas de Tolosa.