The church of Santa Maria del Rocio, a huge pilgrimage center, reflected in one of the marshes common in this area, next to Donana National Park
Flamingos feeding in the marsh
Most of El Rocio is a ghost town, with the houses only used during the annual pilgrimage
The town keeps its streets unpaved for the sake of horses
El Rocio's wide sand streets
Note the hitching rails for horses in front of every house
Even the tiny police station has a Wild West feel
The bell tower of El Rocio's huge 1960s church (with some bells missing for renovation)
Tile painting of Our Lady of El Rocio (we couldn't take photos of the original statue)
The 1,000-year-old "grandfather tree" (a wild olive)
These swallows are everywhere in El Rocio, nesting under eaves
Horses grazing on the edge of town (with cattle egret)
The toros of Spain (beef cattle, in this case)
What houses in El Rocio used to look like (thatched with marsh reeds)
Pine woods in Donana park (Italian pines imported long ago to produce pine nuts)
Chris birdwatching in Donana's wetlands
A spoonbill and an egret
Two black marsh hens and a little egret
A gray heron (what the Spanish call a royal heron)
A white stork in flight
A solitary spoonbill at sunset
A spoonbill by day
El Rocio by night