Narrow, steep streets lead to the parish church of Santa María Magdalena in Salinas de Hoz. The church, traditional salt production, and the route to Cerro de la Torreta give the village distinct cultural and scenic features.

Village centre and architectural history

The village centre is part of the Ruta Sierra de Salinas. Its narrow, steep streets lead to the parish church of Santa María Magdalena, a clear landmark in the village. The church was partly built by reusing the structure of an earlier temple. Its architectural history is therefore linked to an older building layer. Salinas de Hoz lies at the foot of the Sierra de Salinas, in an area where rocky ground is predominant; rubble stone masonry was the preferred building method for structures in settlements like these. The two architectural details relate to different scales: the reused structure concerns the church itself, while rubble stone masonry was a preferred building method in settlements at the foot of rocky sierras.

Salt production and surviving basins

Traditional salt production in Naval and Salinas de Hoz involved channelling water through wooden channels into shallow, divided basins. The summer sun completed the evaporation process, producing salt. This illustrates two aspects of the process: the channels and basins provided its built infrastructure, while the summer sun brought about the natural step of evaporation. The salt works at Salinas de Hoz were used until around 1960. Some of the square basins, or sections used to decant the salt water, have survived.

Route and landscape

A route to Cerro de la Torreta passes through the Barranco de Cuancas and climbs between the slopes of Cerro de la Torreta, at 929 metres, and Platiello, at 954 metres. Platiello is therefore 25 metres higher than Cerro de la Torreta—a direct comparison of the elevations of the two peaks. From the route’s summits, panoramic views extend across the entire Somontano de Barbastro region, from the steppe zone in the south to the high peaks of the Aragonese Pyrenees. The route through the barranco describes the local terrain, while the panorama opens up views across the entire region. Salinas de Hoz lies close to the Sierra de Salinas. Large areas of vineyards have spread across the plain near Salinas de Hoz in recent years; olive and almond trees have traditionally been planted on terraces on the Sierra’s slopes. This provides a useful contrast: newer vineyards on the plain are set against the traditional terraced planting of olives and almonds on the slopes.

An annual festival date

Every year, around 25 April, Salinas de Hoz celebrates the feast in honour of Saint Mark. The approximate date is a useful guide if you would like to include cultural events in your travel plans. If you are travelling for the festival, check the exact event dates in advance. These are two distinct seasonal references: the feast of Saint Mark is celebrated around 25 April, while traditional salt production made use of the summer sun.

Discover more destinations: Estada, Torrente, Loporzano, Secastilla, Fonz, Torralba De Aragón, Salas Bajas, Guasillo.

For the main travel overview: Huesca.