CERRO DE SAN VICENTE MUSEUM

The protohistoric settlement, occupied between the 8th and 4th centuries BC, was located at a strategic point on the Tormes River, dominating a river ford and controlling a vast territory. Its position in the natural corridor connecting the southern peninsula with the Northern Plateau —the future Vía de la Plata— favored economic and cultural exchanges from very early times. The settlement, covering about two hectares and home to around 250 inhabitants at its peak, was protected by a natural escarpment and a defensive wall in its most vulnerable sector.

The Soto people's economy combined agriculture, livestock farming, and gathering, complemented by hunting. The presence of hand mills, granaries, and faunal remains indicates intense productive activity. The material culture shows remarkable artisanal development, especially in pottery and bronze metallurgy, along with textile work and the crafting of bone and stone tools.

After a long period of abandonment, the hill was reoccupied in the Middle Ages. Although the origins of the San Vicente monastery are not entirely clear, it is known to have existed before 1143, the date on which Alfonso VII donated it to the Cluniac order. In the 16th century, under the Catholic Monarchs, the convent was incorporated into the Reformed Benedictine Order and transformed into a university college, which led to a profound reconstruction resulting in a monumental complex of great architectural value. However, the Peninsular War brought its ruin: the French fortified it, and during the siege of Salamanca in 1812, it was practically destroyed. After the disentailment of 1835, the hill became a humble neighborhood whose inhabitants reused the remains of the convent.

In recent years, excavations have revealed exceptional findings demonstrating contacts with the Eastern Mediterranean, such as Phoenician and Egyptian ceramics, among which are cult objects made of faience, like a small idol likely representing a goddess. These materials, along with the presence of a large rectangular structure interpreted as a possible ritual space, suggest that relations with Eastern peoples were deeper than a simple commercial exchange.

The rediscovery of the prehistoric settlement in 1949 and the recovery project initiated in the 1990s have transformed the hill into an archaeological park and a key space for the historical interpretation of Salamanca. In 2025, the Museum was inaugurated, and musealization work on the protohistoric remains and Napoleonic defenses began, consolidating the hill as a place where historical-archaeological research and cultural dissemination converge.

The San Vicente Hill Museum is a new “contemporary, interactive and educational” proposal, which will allow for the contextualization of archaeological findings and the events experienced in this place where the city's origin is located. The guided tour of its interior has been divided into ten stages:

1. Viewing of the audiovisual that explains the importance of San Vicente Hill.
2. Reflection on the city and ways of knowing and learning from it.
3. Tour through the first room where a timeline of the city's history, maps and plans from different periods, Anton van den Wyngaerde's mythical painting of the city from 1570, and an attractive audiovisual proposal that narrates the evolution of Salamanca from its origin on this hill to the present day are displayed.
4. The fourth stage delves into the remains found in this place, the settlement from the first Iron Age and the vanished San Vicente monastery, linked to the importance that convents had in Salamanca.
5. It continues by delving into representative objects such as Wellington's briefcase; the model of the royal pavilion designed by García de Quiñones for the Plaza Mayor; remains and weapons from the Battle of Arapiles; and a work by the artist Juan Figueroa.
6. The sixth stage proposes a meeting between scientific archaeology and art.
7. It continues with a monograph on the Battle of Arapiles.
8. The crises that shook Salamanca's future are recalled, such as the San Policarpo flood, the Lisbon Earthquake, the War of Independence, and the Disentailment.
9. One stage is dedicated to the impulse of urbanism and the growth of the city.
10. It concludes with a small nod to the transformation of the San Vicente neighborhood, the historic Las Maravillas neighborhood that was created on the slopes of the hill.

CERRO DE SAN VICENTE MUSEUM ABOUT VANISHED SALAMANCA “Invisible Salamanca”

The museum's layout is "L"-shaped around the cloister space, coinciding with two of the monastery's original galleries. A series of walkways and platforms facilitate the tour inside. The tour inside the museum is organized into the following stages:

1. Viewing of the audiovisual presentation explaining the importance of Cerro de San Vicente for understanding the city's origins.
2. Reflection on the “invisible city”, the vanished city still latent in archaeological remains and collective memory.
3. In the tour through the west gallery, we can see: • A timeline from geological times to the present day. • An exhibition of historical maps and plans showing the transformations of Salamanca's historic center from the 18th to the 20th century. • The mythical panoramic view of the city created in 1570 by Antón van den Wyngaerde. • A screen with an attractive audiovisual proposal that narrates, through plans and audios, the evolution of Salamanca from its origins.
4. In the south gallery, the magnificent pavement of the convent's Chapter House is preserved in situ, crafted with quartzite pebbles forming elegant geometric designs. This space explains the history of the Benedictine monastery of San Vicente and delves into the archaeological remains found on the site, highlighting the importance that convents held in Salamanca's religious and urban life. It also shows how, after the destruction of the convent during the Peninsular War, its ruins were reused by families who colonized the hill in the second half of the 19th century, transforming it into one of the city's most humble neighborhoods, known as the San Vicente and Los Milagros Quarter. 5.- Inside a room, a series of objects that powerfully attract visitors' attention are displayed: Wellington's briefcase and the model of the City Hall designed by Andrés García de Quiñones in the 18th century. A diorama with projections over a model narrates the development of the Battle of Arapiles. 6.- The cellars: in one of the cellars, the prehistory of Salamanca is shown, emphasizing the Soto de Medinilla site located on the hill. An audiovisual projects geometric designs onto the walls.
5. On the upper floor, we find information about the Battle of Arapiles, the Disentailment, and the subsequent urban growth and development of Salamanca during the 19th and 20th centuries.
6. In the viewpoint area, display cases with reproductions of weapons used during the Peninsular War are shown. The tour concludes by observing from this privileged space how the San Vicente neighborhood has transformed since the late 20th century.