An unusual introduction to Quinto leads to the former Iglesia de la Asunción: it houses the Museo de las Momias de Quinto, and the former church is known locally as el Piquete. The museum and building thus offer two perspectives on the town: the collection inside and the history of a large building in the Mudéjar style.
The museum and the architectural history of el Piquete
The museum displays fifteen naturally mummified bodies of different ages. They date from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The visit also includes grave goods and other objects found in the tombs. Pottery fragments date from both before and after the building was constructed. The collection thus offers several perspectives on the past, rather than focusing solely on the mummies.
The Iglesia de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Quinto de Ebro has been protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Monument category since 2001. El Piquete is a large building in the Mudéjar style with defensive and military origins; its construction began in the early years of the 15th century. Visitors interested in architecture can explore the history of the former church alongside the museum collection.
The Portales de San Miguel, San Roque and San Antón also tell the story of Quinto’s medieval form: they were entrances to the town when it was completely surrounded by walls. The Antigua Casa Parroquial de Quinto also stands on Calle de San Roque. Its structure is typical of 16th-century Aragonese Renaissance palaces, though this does not mean that the building itself is classified as a palace.
Earlier settlements and hermitages
A much older layer of history can be found in the Las Dehesas de Quinto area. On the cliffs above the Ebro, near the Gelsa Bridge, lies an Early Iron Age settlement dating to approximately 700–500 BC. The history of the sites visitors can explore here thus reaches far beyond the medieval gates and the construction of el Piquete.
The Ermita de Matamala lies 3.7 kilometres from Quinto, between the railway line and the road from Quinto to Sástago, by the Ebro. It preserves a bricked-up early Gothic portal attributed to the 13th century. The Ermita de Bonastre stands on a promontory beside the N-232, about seven kilometres from Quinto in the direction of Zaragoza. Like Matamala, Bonastre was documented as a village or fortified settlement as early as the 13th century. The present-day hermitage is probably an 18th-century Baroque building.
Quinto also has a recurring Easter tradition: on Easter Monday, residents make a pilgrimage to celebrate the Virgen de Bonastre, also known as Buen Astro. The following Tuesday, they celebrate the Virgen de Matamala. These two consecutive days give local tradition a distinct place alongside the town’s architectural and archaeological heritage.
Purburel, public art and local produce
The Purburel position offers a different perspective on history: this 250-metre-long trench dug into the earth includes firing pits and shelters. The site also has an observation point that may also have served as a machine-gun nest. The trenches are open to visitors and can be explored on foot; signs and information panels are posted around the area.
With Retrospectiva, Quinto’s municipal government is pursuing a cultural urban renewal project. It draws on examples of historical advertising graphics and uses artistic interventions in public spaces. Over a four-year period, the project aims to create a kind of open-air museum of vintage advertising.
Quinto is also a stop along the Camino de Santiago del Ebro. Another local link between culture and gastronomy is Aceite Vegabonastre, produced in Quinto: it is the starting point of the Bajo Ebro gastronomic route and carries the D.O. Aceite del Bajo Aragón designation of origin. Quinto thus brings together a range of themes, from religious architecture and archaeological remains to a regional olive oil tradition.
Discover more destinations: Luesia, Embid De La Ribera, Cariñena, Novallas, Sástago, Borja, Cuarte De Huerva, Sabiñán.
Go to the main travel overview: Zaragoza.
