At the top of the energetic moors that rise up from the bottom of the Duero River stands the town of Guzmán.

Guzmán is one of the original sites from which the main nobility of Castile originates, which is why many Spanish noble houses have Guzmán as one of their surnames. The paternal family of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one of the most internationally renowned Spanish saints, as founder of the Order of Preachers, comes from this town.

A walk through its history:

• In the year 1069, King Don Sancho II granted the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza the village of Guzmán, because of this concession, Guzmán was not integrated into the Community of Roa, and for this reason it was another focus of Benedictine influence.
• In the 14th century, Guzmán became half seigniory and half behetría.
• Francisco López de Zúñiga Sotomayor, 5th Duke of Béjar, promulgated the oldest ordinances of the town of Guzmán, which were approved by the Duke on 17 June 1580, exempting the town of Guzmán from its status as a Lordship and giving it its own jurisdiction. This is how Guzmán obtained the title of villa.
• In 1978, the Town Council of Guzmán, together with the Town Councils of Pedrosa de Duero, Boada de Roa, Quintanamanvirgo and Valcavado de Roa, began the process of merging their municipalities in order to achieve savings in personnel costs and to resolve the difficulties they were experiencing in terms of the provision of compulsory services, thus becoming a Minor Local Entity.

This small town has two buildings that have been declared “Bien de Interés Cultural” (of Cultural Interest) that the visitor should not miss: the parish church of San Juan Bautista de Guzmán and the Palacio de los Guzmanes (Guzmanes Palace).

Another place of interest is the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Fuente, where the Patron Saint of Guzmán is worshipped, located at the southeast end of the town, whose construction began in 1745. Its interior houses her 14th century sculpture.

If you climb to the top of the castle hill, where there are some 100 underground cellars, you can enjoy panoramic views, making it a magnificent natural riverside viewpoint. A fortification once stood on this hill, but only its foundations remain today.

Guzmán celebrates its fiestas in honour of San Juan Bautista (24th June) and the Virgen de la Fuente, in September (the first Sunday after the 8th).

The local name for Guzmán is: guzmaneros.