Camino Pilgrims Help Rural Spain’s Emptying Villages Survive

A pilgrim walks during a stage of "Camino de Santiago" or St. James Way near to Santo Domingo de La Calzada, northern Spain, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Over centuries, villages with magnificent artwork were built along the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage route crossing Spain. Today, Camino travelers are saving those towns from disappearing, rescuing the economy and vitality of hamlets that were steadily losing jobs and population. “The Camino is life,” say villagers along the route. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

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By Associated Press

June 19, 2022 at 6:00 AM EDT

Terradillos De Los Templarios, Spain (AP) -- Amid the vast grain fields of Spain, a medieval church stands guard over the handful of adobe homes where some 50 people live — and twice as many travelers along the Camino de Santiago spend the night this summer.

Terradillos de los Templarios, and dozens of villages like it, were built to host medieval pilgrims walking the 500-mile (800-kilometer) route across Spain to the Apostle James’ tomb in Santiago de Compostela. Today’s Camino travelers are saving them from disappearing.

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