Name of inhabitants : Torrino, Torrero
Population: 509 inhab. in 1900 / 290 inhab. in 1950 / 43 inhab. in 1995
Elevation: 953 mts.

Torre de las Arcas is situated in an area of mining fields (Comarca de las Cuencas Mineras), very close to the village of Montalbán . The two villages demarcate the southern end of the Cultural Park of the Martín river. Torre de las Arcas was under the jurisdiction of the Orden de Santiago en Montalbán, where the Encomienda was.

On the top of a hill overlooking the Cabra river and where the village started, we find the castle . The castle has a square floorplan (around 20 m. for each side), with masonry walls that still show some defensive windows. In a corner we can see the remains of a square tower that protected the access door. Its semicircular arch is marked by jambs and wedges of good ashlaring. The building is assumed to have been a castle-shelter, and traces back to the XIV century.

At the foot of the castle lies the old urban center. Its construction starts on the slope, and the center itself is characterized by narrow streets and a traditional atmosphere. A large square ("plaza Mayor") hosts the Saint Michael's church (iglesia de San Miguel), a baroque building of the XVIII century. The church features an imposing brick bell tower made up of 5 parts of rich composition, and featuring a variety of ornamental holes with a clear Mudéjar influence. According to Gonzalo Borrás, this tower is one of the most important of the region.

The church originally consisted of a nave and two aisles. However, after a necessary and urgent reconstruction, the design was changed. A worship space now occupies 1/3 of the nave, having a socio-cultural area on the rest of the space, with an open terrace.

In the same square is the two storied town hall . The lower floor has two round arches and hosted the market place, now replaced by a community center and bar. The upper floor hosts the offices of the town hall and its façade displays the stone coat of arms of the village.

From the square, a long main street begins (Mayor). Other, slightly sloping streets begin there as well, on the sides, and are surrounded by an ordered system of buildings.

The Mayor street reaches the Virgen de la Huerta hermitage , passing, along the way, the traditional washhouses and ending in cultivated land irrigated by the Martin river's tributary, the Cabra river. The hermitage is a masonry building with a square floor plan, four-sectioned roof and an ashlar entrance with a round arch. In this space, on terraces where once flowed the Cabra river, the Center of Interpretation of Flora of the Cultural Park of the Martín river was built.

About 2 kilometers after wading across the Cabra river, we will reach a path in good condition that leads to Virgin of Oto hermitage (ermita de la Virgen de Oto). There we can enjoy an impressive view and the quiet atmosphere of the hermitage's sacred environment.