Castilviejo de Guijosa is an ancient hillfort located in the municipality of Sigüenza, Guadalajara. It is built on a hill of Triassic limestone and is roughly shaped like an isosceles triangle. The site's wall is divided into five sections, with the northern section containing an access gate without special protection. At the southern end, the wall is finished by a tower measuring trece por seis metros, which serves as a closing post and an observatory over the valley.
The walls are formed by a double row of carefully worked stones, particularly on the exterior, while the intermediate zone is filled with stones of various sizes. The perimeter wall measures approximately 90 meters in a north-south direction. The construction was positioned to dominate agricultural lands and pastures, serving as a strategic point of surveillance for the paths crossing the Central System.
The defensive system is completed by two regular groups of chevaux de frise located in the most vulnerable areas. These arrangements end at the edge of the cliff, making it impossible to access the settlement except through a four-meter-wide passage. This forced carts and horses to enter through the corridor, exposing them to the defenders. The interior of the fort is heavily ruined, with few remains suggesting the houses were quadrangular in shape, with rear walls reinforcing the natural slopes of the promontory.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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