When Ramón y Cajal was already an eminence, he still remembered how as a child he traveled from Ayerbe, a town where his father worked as a rural doctor, to a new school in Jaca. An exciting journey in the eyes of little Santiago that several decades later he poured into his memories: “I never tired of admiring the thousand picturesque details that the bends of the road and each height, painfully gained, allowed us to discover. Among other accidents of the panorama, the giant mallos of Riglos, similar to the colonnades of a palace of titans, were deeply engraved on my retina.
The same thing happens to anyone who contemplates this enclave in the Huesca Pre-Pyrenees. He is impressed by the size and verticality of those stone colossi that seem to protect, but also threaten, the town of Riglos located at the base of the mallos. And their presence is even more spectacular if they are discovered late in the day. Then, the evening light sets alight the orange and reddish tones of these rocks created during the geological processes of the brutal Alpine orogeny and which once formed were slowly sculpted by the winds, ice and rains of about 65 million years.
The current path to reach Riglos follows the same route parallel to the sinuous and wild Gállego River that impressed the future Nobel Prize winner in Medicine. The quality of the road has changed, obviously, but its bends cause identical sensations. So the perspectives of the landscape vary until finally the mallos are discovered in the distance. From that moment on you can’t look at much more than those imposing stones, and even if it was not the initial intention, it is impossible not to feel their attraction and end up taking the detour to the town of Riglos.
Although it is not the only way to get there. It is also possible to do it by train. Embarking on the historic line from Zaragoza to Canfranc and whose mountain route begins precisely from here, at the halt called Las Peñas de Riglos, located a short walk from the urban center. From the capital of Maña, from Huesca and even from Ayerbe where Ramón y Cajal spent his childhood, it is a fairly common excursion for those who decide to explore these places by mountain bike or those who put on their boots to undertake hiking routes with much more itineraries. easier than they appear at first glance.
For example, it is customary to follow what is known as the Camino del Cielo, which goes completely around the mallos. It is true that you have to overcome some good slopes at the beginning of the path in order to get away from the urban center of Riglos, but once you reach heights the only thing left to do is enjoy the views. An ideal route to appreciate in all its magnitude the rocky masses and their composition based on boulders and sand compacted over millennia and millennia.
In addition, this circular route, which takes about three hours without rushing, is also perfect for discovering the local flora and fauna. Especially the fauna. Especially the numerous colony of griffon vultures that fly over the “Reino de los Mallos”. A name that is not simple literature or a bombastic tourist slogan. It has a historical explanation.
To know it you have to go to the end of the 11th century. Specifically on August 16, 1097. That day, in the cathedral of Huesca, King Pedro I married Doña Berta of Savoy and Aquitaine. And as her dowry, the Aragonese monarch gave his wife the lands of Agüero, Murillo de Gállego, Riglos, Marcuello and Ayerbe. Forming something like a kingdom within another kingdom. A possession that Doña Berta kept until her death around 1111.
She even kept it when she became a widow and inherited the kingdom of Aragon Alfonso I the Battler, who despite being a great friend of conquests and annexations left the Kingdom of the Mallos in the hands of his sister-in-law. Of course, as soon as he died, all this territory between the provinces of Huesca and Zaragoza returned to his power.
Beyond owners and gentlemen, the image of the Riglos mallos is portentous and in some way has a hypnotic capacity. Especially for those looking for challenges. That is why walls that reach up to 300 meters high have become a priority destination for climbers from around the world who long to test themselves on the more than 200 existing climbing routes. The vast majority are very technical itineraries that require a certain experience and level. In fact, the Mallos have been the scene of quite a few deadly misfortunes!
The most daring teams seek the top of the emblematic mallos, each with its own name. They are the Firé, the Pisón, the Puro, the Frechín, the Cuchillo whose edge is always a challenge or the Visera, famous for having the greatest collapse in Spain. These are the largest and most photogenic. But the entire relief of the surroundings is dotted with other mallos whose ascent is also a challenge. Although it is not always possible to climb the rocks where numerous birds live and nest, some small and beautiful like the wallcreeper and others as large and scavengers as the vulture. So there are times of the year when climbing areas are restricted to affect this natural wealth as little as possible.
It is in these periods when you have to forget about the long ropes and harnesses to go to Riglos with good binoculars and ready to peacefully enjoy nature. The plan couldn’t be simpler. It is about standing at a certain distance, enjoying the panoramic view of the complex and searching in the rocks and in the sky for the true kings of the mallos. That is, the Egyptian vultures, the kites, some peregrine falcons, perhaps the colossal bearded vultures and of course dozens of fawns.
