The village is located on a gentle slope bathed by the river Bañuelos. Its real name was Villanueva la Cardosa. Villanueva de Gumiel was almost certainly founded or repopulated in the time of Count Fernán González during the Reconquest.

Special mention should be made of its parish church, the Church of San Mamés, which dates from the 17th century. It has two symmetrical naves with eight crossed arches and a central vault with four Romanesque arches resting on 16 rectangular columns. It has a central altarpiece (dating from the 16th century) with three sections and a statue of San Mamés, its patron saint. Also worthy of note is its baptismal font, which dates from the end of the 16th century.

Other places of interest are its hermitage and the two menhirs on the outskirts of the village, as well as the water mill and the Roman bridge with three spans.

Villanueva de Gumiel celebrates its fiestas in honour of San Mamés in August and San Pedro Mártir de Verona in April. They also organise a lively cultural summer at the beginning of August, which includes a popular painting competition.

Villanueva de Gumiel is known as: villanovense.