What is the pylon road
In the publication in the BOA as a declaration of Cultural Interest of the Allepuz-Villarroya de los Pinares section, the following is quoted: “…With many probabilities this road was signposted with pylons, as we can travel it today, in the Modern Age, 18th century, a time when communications in Spain were rationalized and considerably improved in order to facilitate transit, communication and trade, especially with regard to the exit of raw materials from rural areas, specifically wool, esparto grass and fabrics from the Maestrazgo”.
Known as “Camino de los Pilones” is an old bridle path that, starting from Teruel, went to Morella and Levante passing through different localities.
It owes its name to the existence of an important set of stone columns or pylons, more than two meters high and at a certain distance, which appear in several sections of the route, the most important being the one that links the towns of Allepuz and Villarroya de los Pinares, declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC).
Its main purpose was to guide travelers in times of snowfall, blizzards and fog, something very frequent in these mountains. The road was used for the transport of all kinds of goods, especially wheat, wool and fabrics, and for the transport of livestock. Already in the Middle Ages, King James I also used it in his travels to the east, being mentioned up to five times between 1231 and 1259 in the “Llibre dels Feits”.
You can learn about the history of this road and many curiosities in this website, in the section History of the road.
