La Yecla is a deep and very narrow gorge in the province of Burgos (autonomous region of Castilla and León, Spain). The small river one can see from the path you can follow, has eroded the limestone rocks for millions of years.
There are much better known gorges and canyons in Spain, see for example the Río Lobos Canyon, The Gorge of Lumbier or also Las Buitreras Canyon. However, if you do not have a lot of time and if you are going to visit the neighboring villages, such as Covarrubias, Caleruega or Santo Domingo de Silos, which are a must, La Yecla is a relatively short and easy experience to incorporate to your exploring of the area. Nature-wise, this part of Spain has very well preserved fauna and flora.
La Yecla, together with one of the largest and best preserved woods of Spanish juniper (sabinar, juniper thurifera) in the world, along the banks of the Arlanza river, is a protected natural space in Northern Spain. In this area some juniper trees are more than 1,000 years old.
This space is also a protection area of a great variety of animals, including birds of prey such as the griffon vulture (buitre leonado), the goshawk (azor) or the golden eagle (águila real). The heights of the surrounding mountain tops host more than 100 pairs of griffon vultures. They impressively display their large wingspan, flying regularly over the area.
The name of this gorge means cut or indentation. There is no agreement on the origin of the word Yecla, but it is believed to be pre-roman (that is from before the Roman conquest of the Spanish Peninsula, started around 206 BC).
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