Castillo de Castrillo de Villavega (restos)

Castrillo de Villavega, Spain, Spain

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Castillo de Castrillo de Villavega, known as "El Mulatero," consists of ruins from a 10th-century fortress in Castrillo de Villavega village, Palencia province, Spain, built during Astur-Leonese repopulation under Alfonso III and Ramiro II to defend against Muslim incursions and control the Valdavia River ford.

First documented in 1204 when Alfonso VIII granted it to the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, it protected nearby Agüero Castle's southern flank with thick cal y canto walls, a concrete barrier base, possible wooden palisades, and underground communication tunnels, passing later to noble lineages like the Ricahembra family.

Dismantled by 1832 for church tower materials, the site remains in grave ruinous condition on a hillock slope used partly as a dump, though a viewing platform highlights its strategic remnants amid erosion threats.