Roman funerary inscriptions, a mill with a pentagonal design and a river that bears the town’s name offer several tangible ways to explore Las Uces. The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario connects the town’s history with archaeological traces; the Río Uces adds the history of mills and bridges. Las Uces can thus be explored through its finds, buildings and the course of the river.

The church and Roman traces

The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario stands in Las Uces. Funerary stelae are set into its façade. Beside the church is the Fuente de los Santos, which is of Roman origin. An archaeological survey in Las Uces documented four previously unpublished Latin funerary inscriptions. They date from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. Two were reused as building material in the church: one in the west wall and one as a lintel above the south entrance.

The funerary finds suggest Roman settlement in Las Uces, although its precise character cannot be determined. The possible connection between the inscriptions and a Romanized indigenous settlement beneath the town has been critically assessed. The finds also inform the interpretation of a necropolis, or burial ground: it was very likely located in the area of Cortinas del Bardial. The funerary inscriptions and the stelae set into the church façade are tangible traces; Roman settlement and the necropolis in the area of Cortinas del Bardial are archaeological interpretations.

The Molino de Las Uces

The Molino de Las Uces has been converted into an ethnographic museum focusing on the region’s traditional customs and ways of life. It is also a mill with a horizontal waterwheel and a distinctive pentagonal design. This shape is well suited to reducing extreme axial water pressure. Its geometry is therefore not just an external feature, but can also be considered in relation to the mill’s construction.

The river and its bridges

The reservoir immediately upstream of the mill in the town marks the point from which the river is called the Río Uces. The waterways of Robledohermoso and Barceíno converge there; Las Uces gives the river its name. After the confluence, the Río Uces flows through the town on a gentle gradient. Between Masueco and Pereña, it then plunges steeply towards its mouth at the Río Duero. The contrast between the gentler course near Las Uces and the steep drop farther downstream gives the river landscape its varied forms.

Four old bridges span the Río Uces: La Lastra, Puente Robledo, Puente del Ran and Puente de Las Uces. The Rivera de Cabeza del Caballo route, described in 2022, follows the river from Valsalabroso to Puente Robledo. The route runs from Valsalabroso to Puente Robledo on the Río Uces; the four bridge names refer to crossings along the river.

The history of the stone bridge at Las Uces also shows how important it was to cross the Río Uces. In the last quarter of the 19th century, its construction was proposed to make it possible to cross the river safely during winter and spring floods. The construction contract was auctioned on 27 November 1887. A total of 5,453 cartloads of stone were used to build it; Las Uces supplied 4,500 of them. The local contribution makes up a large share of the stated total and gives the bridge’s history a concrete connection to the town.

Discover more destinations: Lumbrales, Miranda Del Castañar, Buenavista, Cristóbal, La Fregeneda, Cabeza del Caballo, Guijo De Ávila, Sequeros

For the main travel guide: Salamanca.