No your not imagining it, that river really is RED.. and can be seen at the incredibly historic open cast mines of Rio Tinto in the province of Huelva. The name Rio Tinto ( Red River ) was of course coined from the impressive colour of the water that flows through the mines and can be seen as far away as 50 kms in the village of Nieblas.

When the ferrous ores come into contact with water they turn both land and the river into an incredible myriad of colours , sades of red, yellow, orange, brown and green can all be seen as the river trickles through the area.

The mines are located in in the heart of Huelva in Southern Andalucia and are reputedly the oldest in the world and rich in history, reportedly being the fabled mines of King Solomon himself. It was the wealth of the mines that beckoned the Phoenicians and the successive invasions of the Greek, Carthaginians and Romans . However it was inexplicably abandoned by the Romans and left to fall in the memories of time until it was rediscovered in 1556 although was not reopened until 1724 . However inefficiency and bad management caused the Spanish government to sell the mines to a British consortium in 1871, which true to the dogged British commercial mentality and work ethic was fully exploited until it became one of the most important sources of Copper and Sulphur in the world.

The colonials even built a small village called Bella Vista for the employees of the mines which is identical to any perfect little country retreat in Britain with neat lawns gardens, tennis lawns and a social club, it even has its own and Presbyterian Church. It is still well maintained and can be visited to this day.

The new Hollywood blockbuster film " Heart of the Earth" is a spectacular production based on actual historical events of the Rio Tinto Mines. Set in 1888 against the backdrop of Huelva, this epic saga of love and power centers on the deep friendship between two women caught up in the first �environmental� protest in history. The film�s stellar cast includes Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Sienna Guillory and Joaquim de Almeida.

It is a musty see for not only budding historian or simply anyone who shares a passion or interest for one of a most spectacular and historic sites in Spain.