[3] These meet at the cemetery and supply water to the Cañocaliente, Aguanal, Matilla, Águila, Mojapán, Piedra, Burros and Carropalenzuela springs that flow into the Pisuerga river, which disappear before reaching their outlets.

In 1352 it was listed under the name Valdecañas de Suso and formed part, along with the depopulated Villavaya, then known as Valdecañas la Vieja, in Merindad in El Cerrato, sharing its martiniegas (a special tax) with Palenzuela, which belonged to Gonzalo de Sandoval, a nobleman who was knighted in Burgos by Alfonso XI of Castile with whom he fought in the conquest of Algeciras in 1344, although the natural dominion of both places belonged to the House of Lara.

In the early sixteenth century the town was among the assets transferred by Teresa Sarmiento, daughter of the Count of Santa Marta, as part of the dowry for her marriage to Pedro Acuña "the Old", second Lord of Villaviudas.

In 1702 the hermitages of Magdalena and Santa María de Cañuelas were in ruins, and the town's population had dropped to thirty-six residents.

In 1783, due to a major epidemic caused by the stagnation of the streams after a flood, the population was decimated leaving thirty residents, of the one hundred and ten that it had previously.

In 1785 it was called Val de Cañas, and continued to belong to the same lordship, which is why, in the Gazetteer records it is not within the Cerrato judicial district.

The guerrilla commander, Juan Puertas, attacked the French garrisons located in Torquemada and Quintana del Puente from the hills of the town,[6] between 1808 and 1812.

Its current name is due to its belonging to the region of El Cerrato, whose etymology comes from the undulating territory crowned with hills.

Located on the highest point of the city center, the parish church is dedicated to San Nicolás de Bari,[8] and possibly replaced a Romanesque building.

It is a baroque style building, dating from the sixteenth century, consisting of three naves, emphasizing its square tower built using ashlar masonry.

The Virgen del Campo, patroness of the town,[1] is housed in a lateral chapel which is transferred in a procession to the hermitage on her feast day.

Also housed inside is a stone shield that crowns the entrance to a small chapel, belonging to the Tevar family, promoter of a pious work locally.

Today it is privately owned, and has, on its façade, a shield of the Virgen del Carmen dated to 1738, accompanied by two sculptures, of San Antonio and Santa Barbara.

Another religious construction is called the 'Casa del Cordón, as evidenced by the umbilical cord[10] and San Francisco shields which are on its façade in plateresque style, reminiscent of the passing of the Franciscan order through the town.

[10] There is also an emblazoned civil building, now privately owned, built in ashlar masonry, with a heraldic shield on the façade and arched windows.

The traditional architecture of the town is noted in the form of one or two storey buildings with a loft, distributed in typical Castilian style.

These are circular buildings made of stone without any mortar, the door climatologically facing south, provided shelter and refuge for shepherds.

The amount of loose stones makes it difficult to calculate the length of the sides, which can be estimated between 7 and 9 m. Villovayo, which was abandoned in 1516, was located near to the castle as well as the Santa Ana hermitage in the area known as Roblecinto.