Villel Castle

Villel Castle lies in a village called Villel del Mesa, in the northern part of the Senorio de Molina in the province of Guadalajara.

You can get to Villel del Mesa over beautiful windings roads through the narrow valley of the river Mesa passing green fertile lands near the river, lots of fishing grounds and arid red rocks and soil.

According to archaeological excavations the site of Villel Castle has been inhabited since several centuries BC. Villel Castle was probably built in the 12th century, by Don Manrique de Lara, following the Reconquest.

In 1299, the powerful family De los Funes, originally from the Kingdom of Navarre, without any problems seized all the villages and strengths, including Villel Castle, in this strategic region.

From then on Villel Castle was passed on to the descendants of this family, sometimes serving the Kingdom of Aragon and sometimes serving the Kingdom of Castile.
In 1680 a descendant of this family was granted the title Marquess of Villel.

Villel Castle lies on a big rock formation in the middle of the village, and its shape has been totally adapted to the outlines of this rock. The keep at its northern point served both as living quarters and as gatehouse.

Villel Castle is a nice small ruin and the drive through the river Mesa canyons alone is already worth your time.

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