Marco Topo in Santillana del Mar

Discover Santillana del Mar by playing

In this Marco Topo adventure you will explore the Cantabrian town of Santillana del Mar. The challenges introduce both its medieval heritage and the prehistoric paintings of Altamira Cave. Among the most important monuments in the town centre is the Merino Tower, an imposing 14th-century defensive tower and the oldest in Santillana. You will also see impressive stone mansions with wooden sun galleries, such as Casa del Águila, and brick-and-timber buildings such as Casa de la Parra. The Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, whose origins date back to the 12th century, is one of Cantabria’s most visited monuments. Marco Topo’s questions highlight features of Romanesque architecture such as semicircular arches, towers, thick walls, barrel vaults and carved capitals. Close to the collegiate church is the Jesús Otero Museum and Foundation, displaying much of the work of this sculptor from Santillana. The route through Santillana’s cobbled streets passes an old washhouse and takes you to the Town Hall, the Renaissance Velarde Palace, the Convent of San Ildefonso and the Diocesan Museum. The game includes a stop in Campo Revolgo Park, an attractive green space with a centuries-old oak and a traditional skittles alley. Very close to Santillana, Marco Topo stops at the Altamira Museum and Neocave, an essential place for understanding the outstanding cave art created by Homo sapiens who occupied the cave between around 36,000 and 13,000 years ago. Bison, deer, horses and handprints are among the images that reveal the creativity of our ancestors. Within the municipality, the route also visits the Chapel of Santa Justa, strikingly built into a cliff and offering exceptional views. Santillana del Mar is sometimes jokingly called the town of three lies because it is said to be neither holy, flat nor by the sea; the cove of Santa Justa proves that Santillana does indeed have a coastline.