The Witch-Gardens of Cantavieja
📍 Cantavieja, Teruel
The Witch's Garden The gardens of Cantavieja were not like other gardens. They grew on terraces that defied the harsh climate of the Maestrazgo mountains, producing flowers that should not survive at such altitude, fruits that ripened in impossible seasons, herbs that contained properties no apothecary could explain. The villagers knew better than to ask questions. They accepted the bounty, paid their respects, and kept their children away from the old stone house at the garden's center where the witch lived alone. Her name was Leonor, though few dared speak it aloud. She had been old when the oldest grandmothers were young, her face lined like ancient bark, her hands gnarled like roots, her eyes the color of storm clouds over summer wheat. But her mind was sharp as winter wind, and her k…