The main square of Beteta, square and large for the size of the town, perfectly preserves most of its original buildings, making it one of the most beautiful squares in the province of Cuenca.
The center of the town of Beteta was originally located in the current Plaza de la Iglesia. From there it progressively moved to the Plaza Mayor, the current center of the social life of the town. This square has witnessed centuries of daily life, celebrations and historical events, including bullfights, which have shaped the character of this mountain village.
The Plaza Mayor is home to some of the most important buildings in the municipality: the Town Hall and the noblest building in the square, built in 1886 to house the municipal schools. After the transfer of the school to more functional facilities, the old schools have been converted into spaces for leisure and culture. The old bread oven, of which the imposing chimney remains, is today the site of the María Zambrano Municipal Library. This building pays homage to the philosopher, who collaborated with the Pedagogical Missions of the Second Republic, which brought education and culture to the most remote corners of Spain, including Beteta and El Tobar.
The most characteristic element of the square are the wooden balconies and arcades, supported on pillars of sabina, a wood of great hardness and resistance to rotting. These structures are an architectural jewel of the mountain landscape. Their beauty and authenticity have made them the perfect setting to capture, in photographs and drawings, the soul of this square.
