You will start your first stop in the gardens of the Archena Museum, in front of it there is a hill called “cabezo del Tío Pío”, here you will find one of the most important Iberian settlements in the national territory, because the pottery that has been found has a common characteristic with the one found in Elche, Its style is called “Elche-Archena”, but what makes this village really important is the “Vaso de los Guerreros”, a unique piece, which is currently in the National Archaeological Museum, a place you should also visit in Archena. Walking along the Paseo Vicente Medina, enjoying its poetry and the natural space that is offered to your eyes, you will arrive at the Presa de los Mazos. The irrigation channels of Archena had numerous water wheels and other devices for raising water which, in the 18th century, populated the huerta (market gardens).
You will start your first stop in the gardens of the Archena Museum, in front of it there is a hill called “cabezo del Tío Pío”, here you will find one of the most important Iberian settlements in the national territory, because the pottery that has been found has a common characteristic with the one found in Elche, Its style is called “Elche-Archena”, but what makes this village really important is the “Vaso de los Guerreros”, a unique piece, which is currently in the National Archaeological Museum, a place you should also visit in Archena. Walking along the Paseo Vicente Medina, enjoying its poetry and the natural space that is offered to your eyes, you will arrive at the Presa de los Mazos. The irrigation channels of Archena had numerous water wheels and other devices for raising water which, in the 18th century, populated the huerta (market gardens).
This dam diverts the water into a canal that runs parallel to the river on the left bank and carries the water to the power station next to the iron bridge. From here, the La Caravija irrigation canal also starts, which irrigates the market gardens of La Algaida and ends in the Molina irrigation canal in the La Torre del Junco area.
Archena is irrigated exclusively by the Segura River through its four irrigation canals, which are the arteries through which the water flows, allowing life to reach places where the river itself cannot. We continue to the beginning of the Ruta de Vicente Medina. The mountain opposite, on the left, was of great importance in medieval times, and was home to a castle from the Islamic period that controlled the entrance to the Ricote valley and the castles of Blanca and Ulea. Continuing to the right along the Paseo del Balneario, you will come to the popular spa of Archena, a place of particular interest, as here you will find the most valuable archaeological remains of the different civilisations that have inhabited the lands of Archena for thousands of years, and finally you will come across the ruins of a Roman “masio”, a place run by the Empire that served as a hostel and accommodation for high ranking officials and personalities.
