Valencina de la Concepción, Spain

Valencina de la Concepción is a town located in the province of Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Valencina is an interesting tourist destination, as it is a charming Andalusian town just 6 km from the sights and tourist attractions of Seville. Valencina de la Concepcion dates back to 2500BC when archaeological remains havev demonstrated it as having been a major copper-smelting town. According to the 2005 census (INE), the town has a population of 7431 inhabitants.On the second Sunday of October there is a public holiday in Valencina de la Concepción, called "Romería de Torrijos", which has been declared a festival of national tourist interest since 1998. In 1923 the decision was taken to establish a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Torrijos on the second Sunday of October, carrying in procession the image of the patroness. The Virgin is accompanied by numerous pilgrims in decorated carriages or on horseback. When the Virgin arrives at the Torrijos Hacienda, mass is celebrated in the central courtyard, for later introduce the image of the Virgin in the interior of the chapel. Back to the town and after a day outdoors, the "romeros" start to party, along with all the visitors. Is the most important pilgrimage of all the Aljarafe. This wandering day on horseback, on foot or in wagons they accompany the Virgin de la Estrella from their parish to the hermitage where themselves scallop to the Christ of Torrijos.Also, Valencina de la Concepción has a big Calcolithic deposit, one of the biggest of Spain. In Valencina there are two very famous dolmens, the dolmen of Matarrubilla and the Dolmen de la Pastora. A dolmen is a megalithic tomb with several upright stones supporting a flat table or capstone. Many date back to pre 3000BC. Originally the dolmens were covered with earth to form a barrow, but time has eroded everything leaving just the stones intact.