Baños de Montemayor () is a
spa town
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He ...
located in the north of the
province of Cáceres
The province of Cáceres ( ; es, provincia de Cáceres, ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Pla ...
,
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
, Spain. The village is known for its Roman-built baths. According to the 2017
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
(
INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation)
* Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation)
* Instituto Nacional Elec ...
), the village has a population of 774 inhabitants. Baños is located in the
Ambroz Valley.
The village became a
spa with the Latin name ' when the Romans built baths in what it was the middle of
Vía de la Plata
The Vía de La Plata (Silver Way) or Ruta de la Plata (Silver Route) is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that crosses the west of Spain from north to south, connecting Mérida to Astorga. An extended form begins further south in Seville ...
, although hot springs were known even before then.
History
The town has a Roman origin, as proven by the archaeological remains found in its historic center. Thus, Roman ruins are preserved in the current spa (together with remains of medieval baths) and an inscription dedicated to the Caparenses nymphs. Also it is possible to find a milestone from
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
's and another one from
Hadrian's
[CIL II 6202a = MiliariosPlata 101 = CILCaceres 3, 952: / [------] as part of La Plata route that crosses the eastern part of the town. In addition, the bridge called "El Cubo" over the river Baños', has also a Roman origin, remains of part of the arch and the pillars are conserved. It belonged to a secondary road, which, starting from the La Plata highway, took the west direction.
Geography and environment
The geography of Baños is very uneven since it is surrounded by mountains of 850 to 1,200 meters high with abundant forests of chestnut trees and other native species. Its privileged location, at the back of the
Ambroz Valley, means that Baños has a mild climate both in summer and in winter.
One of its main characteristics, derived from its situation at the head of a valley, is the abundance of water, finding numerous natural sources and springs both within the urban area and in the environment.
References
Municipalities in the Province of Cáceres
{{Extremadura-geo-stub