Las Torres de Cotillas is located in the Huerta Murciana, about 15 km from the capital. The town’s history, church architecture, religious traditions and regional sweets offer different ways to shape a stay. If you would like to make cultural interests a focus when choosing a destination, you can explore architectural history, archaeological and medieval connections, and festival culture.
Churches and historic buildings
The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Salceda is on the main street, near the town hall. It was built in the late 18th century and extended in 1880. Its rectangular floor plan comprises three naves, with the central nave wider than the side naves. Behind the presbytery is an ambulatory, or passageway. The building’s construction and extension place its history in context, while its floor plan and ambulatory describe its spatial layout. This offers two different ways to explore the church: the building’s development and its architectural design.
The Palacio de Verano of the Lords of D’Estoup dates from the mid-19th century. Its eclectic façade features lions, coats of arms, rosettes, arches and other ornamental details. The building is now used for educational purposes. Here, the focus is more on the façade’s design and the building’s character as a summer palace. The church and the Palacio therefore offer different architectural themes: a floor plan with three naves on the one hand, and an eclectic façade on the other.
Local history and traditions
The Barrio de San Pedro, also known as Cotillas la Antigua, is considered the origin of the town as a seigneurial estate in 1318. Roman baths dating from the 1st to 2nd centuries AD were found in La Loma; their remains lie beneath later buildings. These places point to different periods: the Roman past and the town’s medieval history.
A surviving section of wall belongs to a medieval aqueduct that connected Alguazas and Cotillas in the 16th century and probably as early as the 14th century. In 2011, the structure was classified as a Bien Catalogado de Interés Cultural (Listed Asset of Cultural Interest). The differing degrees of certainty about its dating are important: the 16th-century connection alongside a probably earlier one in the 14th century.
Historical documents record brotherhoods taking part in Holy Week in Las Torres de Cotillas from the beginning of the 17th century. Easter celebrations marking the Resurrection of Christ include the traditional baile de los santos, also known as El Encuentro. The “Juan Madrid Roca” International Folklore Festival was held for the 40th time in 2026. The 2026 patron saint festivities were dedicated to the Virgen de la Salceda and were scheduled to conclude with the traditional Quema del Raspajo. If you are planning a future trip, check the dates for that year’s edition, as future programmes may differ.
Regional sweets and travel planning
Traditional sweets from Las Torres de Cotillas include paparajotes and buñuelos con chocolate. The local themes therefore range from architectural and local history to religious customs and food culture. If you plan to visit for a festival, your arrangements will depend on that year’s programme. For a stay focused on history or architecture, the different buildings and historical connections offer other topics to explore, while traditional sweets provide a culinary perspective.
Discover more destinations: Lorca, Santiago de la Ribera, Totana, El Saladillo, Retamalejo, ValentĂn, Aledo, Atamaria
For the broader travel overview: Murcia.
