Atapuerca

Atapuerca is a small town in the province of Burgos that the French Way crosses between San Juan de Ortega and the Burgos capital, known worldwide for the archaeological sites of the mountain range that bears its name. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, these sites have revealed some of the oldest hominid remains in Europe, among them those of Homo antecessor, turning the Sierra de Atapuerca into a global reference point for human evolution. The pilgrim crossing the village climbs towards the Matagrande pass, from which a first and moving panorama of Burgos opens up against the meseta. Beyond its scientific dimension, Atapuerca preserves the memory of the 1054 battle in which Fernando I of León faced his brother García Sánchez III of Navarre, and it keeps the calm of the small villages along the Way, with its parish church, its lagoons and a handful of services geared to the walker. For many pilgrims it is the last peaceful stop before entering the bustle of the great city, a serene pause between the most remote history of humankind and the monumental grandeur of Burgos.