In Colombres , Ribadedeva, wealthy emigrants who had made their fortunes in the Americas radically transformed the small rural village into a modern town with colorful and exotic architecture. The town's main urban landmarks, clustered around its elliptical plaza, such as the Town Hall, the Baroque-inspired church, and the Quinta de Guadalupe estate, owe their existence to American wealth. At the center of this plaza stands a statue dedicated to the man who commissioned its construction, the Count of Ribadedeva.
In the mansions that dot this municipality, one typically finds a striking palm tree, a symbol of class that left no doubt as to the origin of so much wealth: America . And the towers, which since medieval Asturias have been a clear element of distinction, a reminder of nobility, of power, were repurposed by the returning emigrants to ennoble their recent social ascent . The desire to display luxury and wealth meant that the facades were filled with classical, baroque, and also regionalist references.
We indicate the most outstanding properties of this municipality in its Indian design.
1 Quinta de Guadalupe. In its architecture, the railings, the glass galleries and its impressive exterior gardens stand out.
2 Iñigo Noriega Mendoza's mansion. It was ordered to be built in 1877. An impressive mansion that is located right next to the Archive.
3 · City Council of Ribadedeva. Stately-looking building that is more typical of a town or city than a small town.
4 · Red House. Very popular for being the setting for the series “La Señora”.
5 · Stone house and annex. Today it houses the House of Culture of Colombres.
6 · Las Raucas Farm. Formerly the headquarters of the Banco Hispanoamericano's board of directors, it has the shape of a parallelogram and stands out for its sobriety.
7 · House of the Lions. Named for the lion's head placed on the balcony.
8 · The Sunshine. House built in the 20s with mountain influences.
9 · Twin Houses of Florencio Noriega. The second oldest in Colombres, from the end of the XNUMXth century.
10 · The Cantu. Built in the 1920s, its prismatic block and upper terrace stand out.
11 · Parish Church of Santa María. Atypical neo-baroque style church that was completely renovated at the end of the XNUMXth century thanks to the funds contributed by Indian emigrants.
12 · Fifth Buenavista. Very well made, flanked by two large palm trees, it has one of the largest gardens in Colombres.
13. Grandpa's Mansion. The Mansión del Abuelo may not be the Indian mansion that stands out the most, but it is one of the oldest. The person who built it was the older brother of an important family saga: Víctor Sánchez Escalante.
14 Villa Delfina (Bustio). It is located on a hill, with privileged views over the port of Bustio and the bridge that forms the boundary between Asturias and Cantabria.
15 · The Villanueva Villa (Villanueva). Indian mansion from 1908 that is dominating the mouth of the Deva River.
16 · The Palm Tree (Noriega). Eclectic in style, on the main façade the attic with sloping ceilings stands out.
Route of Indian architecture
In short, these are unique modernist palaces and mansions ; an unprecedented blend employing prestigious architects who knew how to find the balance between disparate elements and create buildings with their own distinct character. Indiano architecture is not a copy of any other style ; it is a new entity worth discovering. In Ribadedeva, one of the municipalities with the best examples of these mansions, a route has been created to showcase them, revealing more than a dozen highly representative and beautiful buildings . As they are private homes, they are not open to the public, but it is known that in many cases they are perfectly preserved and allow us to get a precise idea of the decoration that was fashionable at the time: wallpapers, silks, curtains, mirrors, fine wood furniture, lamps and bronzes, and significant carpentry work.
To get an idea of what they were like inside, in Colombres we can access the Quinta de Guadalupe , as well as the town hall, or the Casa de Piedra, now the Municipal House of Culture and Library.
The heritage complex of Colombres, one of the most interesting examples of the Indianos architecture movement, justified the inauguration in 1987 of the Indianos Archive and Emigration Museum Foundation in one of its mansions, the Quinta de Guadalupe. This foundation works to preserve and exhibit the historical memory and creations of successive generations of emigrants and is a must-see. This estate, with its large interior courtyard and two stories of polychrome wooden archways in the Moorish style, was once the clearest symbol of the wealth and power of Don Iñigo Noriega. Its magnificent park is one of the best-preserved gardens in Asturias, both in its design and in the exotic tree species it contains.
Archives of Indians
Asturian emigration to America at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries was quite a phenomenon … Read more
From Colombres there is an exit that goes to Bustio, below the church, and another to Villanueva, crossing the town. To the north, modern but uniform residential houses were built, which contrast with the opulence and individualism of the constructions of the Indians. And to the South, towards Villanueva, the houses are losing height, until they are whitewashed, one-story buildings, with a vague Andalusian appearance, in sharp contrast to the color and variety of the Indian palaces.
Source: Tourist Office of Ribadedeva
Tno. and fax: 985 41 23 21
E-MAIL: tourismribadedeva@yahoo.es
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
