In the late eleventh century, Alquézar was a frontier fortress, and its walls were the front line of a long war. The Muslim rulers of the Ebro valley held the castle as part of a defensive chain against the Christian kingdom of Aragon, until King Sancho Ramírez captured it around 1067 and made it a base for the conquest of Barbastro and the plains beyond. The name itself comes from the Arabic for castle, and the church that was built on the rock, the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, took over the castle's commanding position.
Litonares L, three kilometres from the village, is one of the shelters in the valley that hold prehistoric paintings, far older than any of this. The contrast between the medieval fortress and the prehistoric shelter is part of what makes the area interesting, since people have found this narrow canyon a good place to live, to hide and to worship for a very long time.
The collegiate church is the best place to start. Its Romanesque cloister has capitals carved with scenes and monsters, and the terrace below it looks out over the gorge and the river. The village streets, with their stone arches and old houses, wind up the hill in a pleasant tangle, and the arcaded main square is a good place for a drink.
The roads are narrow and winding. The approach from Barbastro follows the river and climbs in easy bends, and beyond the village the lanes are tighter, with rough patches and gravel. A small, light bike and a calm hand suit them. Traffic is light on weekdays, though summer weekends bring a stream of visitors, and the hairpins near the village are tight enough to demand a slow pace.
Alquézar has only a few hundred inhabitants, so fuel is a matter for Barbastro, about twenty kilometres away. The village has cafés and restaurants for lunch. Aim for the early morning, when the light is soft and the crowds have not arrived, and the old stones are warm.