Castrillo de Murcia is small enough to walk from one end to another in minutes, but every village has its back story. During the 8th century, Arab settlers built a fortified outpost whilst Christian kingdoms and Muslim rulers were at odds with one another. Dig even deeper, and traces of Celtiberian and Roman remains can be found, suggesting that people were living here long before anyone called it a town. By the 9th century, Christians had resettled it, and of the medieval walls that once enclosed each street, only one remains. The Arch still stands, holding the memory of centuries of battles and the lives that lived in this corner of Burgos.

After the 9th-century resettlement, Castrillo de Murcia joined the Castile’s defensive network. During the Reconquista, it was one of the “castrillos,” small castles guarding the fertile Odra River plains near Sasamón. Walk through the village today, and the church of Santiago Apóstol dominates the skyline. Built atop an earlier Romanesque structure, it got remodeled in the 16th century with towers, chapels, and a spiral staircase that has no central column (a clever addition by master architect Hernando de la Maza). The church, with its mix of power and faith, marked the village’s pinnacle moment, right before the 17th century which brought the peculiar celebration of El Colacho.

Every year during Corpus Christi, El Colacho transforms Castrillo de Murcia into a sacred spectacle. Masked devils, drummers, and the infamous Colacho leap over babies laid out on mattresses along the streets, taking part in a centuries-old ritual meant to cleanse and protect newborns. It’s a mix of faith, theater, and controlled madness that has captivated the village for generations. For travelers willing to look past the spectacle, Castrillo de Murcia offers a living negotiation between faith and folklore, fear and celebration, where the village’s secrets linger long after the final drumbeat fades.

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Centuries of history, one strange festival, and other hidden secrets wait in this small Burgos village.

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