Miraflores de la Sierra: the loveliest of the Sierras

Miraflores de la Sierra

Miraflores de la Sierra lies 49 kilometres from Madrid, in a valley framed by two great massifs of the Central System. The village’s first name was Porquerizas. Local tradition says that its natural beauty captivated Queen Isabel of Bourbon: enchanted by the abundance of flowers, she is said to have exclaimed, “Look—flowers!” (¡Mira, flores!), giving rise to the name Miraflores.

History

Miraflores de la Sierra did not originally bear its current name: it was first known as Porquerizas. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, though it is thought to have emerged during the reign of Alfonso X “the Wise”. Its origins may be earlier still, as Miraflores’ story is bound up with the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. While historians have not clarified whether Madrid was reconquered before, at the same time as, or after Toledo, it does appear that Segovian troops occupied Madrid. For this reason, many villages in the Madrid mountain range were initially settled by Segovian shepherds.

Madrid, however, resisted the encroachment, and in the centuries following the Reconquista a prolonged dispute unfolded between Madrid and Segovia over control of these lands. To reduce conflict, Alfonso X took the territory under royal authority and brought together several existing settlements in an administrative union known as the Real de Manzanares. Even so, the territory continued to change hands, until King John I granted it to the Mendoza family. In time, it passed to Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marquis of Santillana, in the early 1446.

In 1523, Charles I granted Porquerizas (Miraflores) the status of a villa. The main reason is clearly stated in the document: the distance to Manzanares—the head of the Real—where residents otherwise had to travel to resolve administrative matters. At that time, local life was based on farming and livestock. Agricultural activity centred on kitchen gardens, meadows and vineyards, while livestock included cattle, sheep, goats and horses.

The first population figures appear in the Cadastre of Ensenada (1752): Porquerizas then had 286 inhabitants. The majority worked in agriculture, cultivating olive trees, vegetables and fruit trees such as cherries, pears, peaches, plums, apples and sour cherries. Stockbreeding also played an important role, including cattle, sheep, horses and pigs. Hunting and fishing were further sources of livelihood: fishing was reserved for residents, provided the catch was sold within the village, and hunting was regulated too—partridge season began on 1 November (All Saints’ Day) and birds had to be sold publicly; clandestine sales were considered an offence. Small-scale trade existed, alongside crafts and trades such as weaving, tailoring, blacksmithing and carpentry.

The 19th century is marked by a consistent problem: the lack of rigour among early-century chroniclers, leading to notable inconsistencies. For instance, in 1827 Miñano estimated the population at 1,839, while Madoz claimed 1,543 in 1848. This apparent depopulation is difficult to explain, given the region’s abundance of water and favourable climate. Throughout the century, farming continued—wheat, rye, some barley, potatoes, beans and vines, as well as orchards—and six flour mills remained in operation. A new activity also emerged: the exploitation of deposits of silver, copper and other materials.

By the late 19th century, Miraflores underwent a significant shift: the first hotels appeared. The healthy mountain climate had long attracted visitors from Madrid and beyond, and it was these seasonal residents who saw Miraflores’ potential as a tourist destination. Hotels multiplied, giving rise to a holiday “colony”.

From the early 20th century onwards, seasonal rentals and hotel holidays became common, and the temporary population grew substantially. Miraflores’ challenge was the lack of a railway connection, so road transport was strengthened and coach services expanded. Rail did not arrive until after the Civil War: in the 1940s a line between Madrid and Burgos was built, passing through the area. Although works were completed in 1953, the line did not open until 1969.

With improved connections, the town’s appeal increased and the registered population rose beyond 4,000, swelling further at weekends and during holiday periods. Miraflores becomes noticeably different from Monday to Thursday compared with Friday to Sunday, when bars, restaurants and leisure venues extend their services to welcome the many visitors who come to enjoy the village and its surroundings.

Culture

In Miraflores de la Sierra, culture and nature are deeply intertwined. This is evident in its many fountains—where water becomes part of the village’s beauty—and in the sheltered corners formed by trees and hillsides, which create spaces of quiet pilgrimage. Add to this the charm of its churches and hermitages, and Miraflores gains a distinctive, memorable character.

“La Colonia”: hotels and summer villas

Along the roads leading to Rascafría and Canencia lies the area known as “La Colonia”, where celebrated hotels and summer villas began to appear from the final quarter of the 19th century. These were summer residences of the Madrid upper bourgeoisie, drawn by the fashionable “mountain air” of the time—encouraged by hygienist ideas and the cultural current known as guadarramismo. The result is a remarkable collection of true small palaces, with outstanding examples still visible in Miraflores.

Town Hall

Plaza de España, 1
A porticoed building with eight columns, crowned by a slender clock tower.

Hermitage of Padre Rivero

Estación, s/n
One of Miraflores’ most emblematic buildings, home to the image of St Blaise (San Blas). It takes on special significance on 3 February, when the pilgrimage in honour of the saint—one of the village’s patrons—begins here.

Fuente de los Borricos

A fountain dating from c. 1800, named for its former use as a watering trough for donkeys used by locals when collecting firewood. It features a basin with a single spout, set against a property wall. Fed by spring water, it now runs again.

Fuente del Pino

This fountain was built in 1791 and carries spring water. In the past, a public washing place was added to it. It was immortalised by Gonzalo Perales, a painter and restorer of Prado, former mayor of Miraflores, owner of one of the few typically Spanish houses left in town. Antonio Merlo, a doctor in Miraflores for many years, said that its waters had certain healing powers.

Fuente Nueva

Miraflores’ emblematic fountain and a favourite subject for painters and photographers. It replaced an earlier fountain—possibly 15th century—in 1791. Tradition says its large side troughs once served as drinking basins for horses of passing stagecoaches, and that it also functioned as a public washhouse, with a low wall providing privacy for the young women washing clothes.

Grotto of Our Lady of Begoña

Founded in 1952 by Julián Reyzábal Delgado, a devout follower of Our Lady of Begoña and of Miraflores itself. On 22 March 2002, marking the grotto’s 50th anniversary, Madrid’s Cardinal-Archbishop Antonio María Rouco Varela authorised it as an oratory for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist.

Humilladero of San Blas

This small shrine stands on the site of the former Hermitage of San Blas, the most recent of four historic hermitages in the council lands, now lost (San Sebastián and Santo Tomé, documented in the 15th century; Our Lady of Peace, 16th century; and San Blas). Designed by Gonzalo Perales during his time as mayor, it is located at the crossroads of the Manzanares and Paular routes, on the edge of the Dehesa Boyal. Its construction is generally dated to the first third of the 17th century.

The Parish Church

Set in the old quarter and oriented east. The first church is believed to have been built between 1419 and 1481. The apse with flying buttresses and the round tower suggest a fortress-like exterior. The original main entrance was a Gothic portal that no longer survives.
Inside, the church preserves a beautiful baptismal font dated 1492. The square-plan tower belongs to the original 15th-century building and is the only element that remains intact. Over time, the church was extensively remodelled, becoming a complex of additions: tower, presbytery and transept, three naves, two porches (north and south), and chapels attached along the side aisles.

The King’s Stop (La Parada del Rey)

This spot is tied to a well-loved legend. It is said that Isabel of Bourbon, wife of Philip IV, paused here on her way to the Monastery of El Paular along the royal route over La Morcuera. Resting on a plateau on the summit of La Raya, beneath La Najarra, she looked down on Porquerizas.
Not long afterwards, noticing the flowers, she is said to have exclaimed, “Mira, flores!” Those accompanying her—perhaps the Duchess of Gandía or the Count of Benavente—suggested that these words should become the village’s new name, replacing the rather unflattering old one. Pleased, the queen supposedly ordered that the town henceforth be called Miraflores de la Sierra.
The place where she stopped is a broad clearing crossed by the royal track, thick with vegetation and rich in cold, crystal-clear springs—an inviting spot to rest before tackling the demanding stage of crossing the pass.

Festivals and traditions

Miraflores has preserved many customs celebrated by generations past. Religious festivities take pride of place, though other traditions—such as Carnival and La Rosca—also form part of the calendar.

• Fiesta of La Rosca (San Blas) – 3 February: The festive year begins with San Blas. On the previous afternoon (Candlemas), schoolchildren traditionally “ran the rosca”: families bought ring-shaped pastries together and held races, with the winner claiming the prized sweet—ultimately shared among all.
  Historically, the Town Hall commissioned three large roscas made with lard, aniseed decorations and sugared sweets. In the afternoon, the village gathered with its authorities for three races—married men, single men and boys—each champion receiving a rosca. Today the celebration continues, mostly through children’s competitions, but the whole village joins in: the Town Hall gives a rosca to anyone who wishes, and winners still earn the privilege of a larger one.
  That same afternoon, the sound of children and young men shaking cowbells tied to their backs can already be heard—the traditional way of announcing the feast of San Blas.
• Fiestas of San Blas – 2–3 February: The celebrations begin on 2 February, when the perreros (traditionally linked to shepherding life) descend from the mountains, once from Pico de la Pala, creating a great commotion with their bells. Legend recalls that during the French occupation, Napoleonic troops plundered local property; villagers sought to recover it and, at night, used bells to mimic a stampeding herd of cows—frightening the troops and forcing them to flee.On 3 February, everyone gathers around 09:00, dressed in the traditional perrero costume: top hat, white trousers and shirt adorned with coloured ribbons and scarves, cowbells fastened to the back, and a shotgun on the shoulder. A pilgrimage sets off to the Humilladero of San Blas, where locals and visitors share the traditional cod with potatoes, offered by the Town Hall. Many now drive out to the site, but plenty still choose the pleasant walk, keeping the old custom alive. At San Blas meadow there are races and games, and at 13:00 Mass is celebrated at the Humilladero. After lunch, the procession returns to the village accompanied by drums and dulzainas. A theatrical “death of the heifer” is performed—its “blood” represented by lemonade served later. The day ends with hot chocolate and churros.
• San Isidro – 15 May: San Isidro, patron saint of farmers and invoked for rainfall, was baptised—tradition holds—in Madrid’s church of San Andrés. In Miraflores, devotion to the saint gained strength in the 17th century, following his canonisation and the spread of his cult through rural communities. The celebration lasted until the Civil War, after which it gradually faded, before being revived in the late 1960s through the local agrarian chamber.
  Today, the procession continues, and grain is still scattered through the streets. Farmers bring tractors from which participants watch and join in; children and adults dress in traditional rural attire. An auction of typical local products donated by residents is held outside the church, culminating with the auction of the apple branch hanging from the saint and from the arms of the platform. The day continues with lemonade and biscuits, and finishes with dancing in Plaza de España.
• Feast of the Assumption – mid-August (week of 15 August):The patron celebrations take place during the week of 15 August. Festivities begin with the pregón (opening proclamation) by the mayor and festivities councillor, followed by a local announcer’s humorous review of the year’s virtues and shortcomings in municipal life. Afterwards, young people—together with the mayor or councillor—head to the Fuente Nueva, where a wine cask is placed in one of the large basins. The mayor or councillor steps into the basin to inaugurate the most festive side of the celebrations.

Nature

Miraflores’ continental climate shapes its vegetation: evergreen trees with small, leathery leaves adapted to dry summers—holm oaks, kermes oaks, pines—along with many aromatic plants. Riverside woodland also appears, with willows, poplars, ash trees and more. Wildlife is diverse: birds such as the Eurasian jay, raven and Iberian azure-winged magpie, and mammals including red squirrels and wild boar.

Fuente del Cura Recreation Area

M-611 road
This recreation area offers drinking water and is surrounded by oak trees and notable birdlife. Nearby are highly valued natural sites such as La Morcuera and the Hueco de San Blas. It is ideal for outdoor activities and an easy escape into nature.

The Poplar (El álamo)

Poet Vicente Aleixandre first came to Miraflores in 1910, though he did not settle here regularly until 1925, living a life of near-total retreat. Miraflores, however, never ceased to show him affection: in 1977, when he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Town Hall named the street where he lived after him. After his death in 1984, his name was given to the local primary school. His verses remain here, beside the poplar tree—his memory held warmly by the people of Miraflores.

La Dehesilla

The La Dehesilla estate is classified as a protected natural area (Monte Preservado). It covers 39 hectares—24 to the right of the station road and 15 to the left—and is home to a landscape dominated by holm oaks