Granada, Spain is an extraordinary city that invites travelers to
explore its rich heritage and scenic attractions. Just south of the
city, huddled on the southern hillside of the vast
Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, sits the much lesser known magical and charming region of the Alpujarra.
Some fifty villages of varying sizes and common cultural features
make up this historic area that spills over both the provinces of
Granada and Almería. The villages also share a common topography; they
perch along the slopes of two dramatic ravines that extend from the
peaks of the Sierra Nevada and cut southeastward to form the basins of
the Guadalfeo and the Andaraz Rivers.
The name for this region may come from the Arabic al-buqscharra,
which could be translated as
“the land of the pastures” given the
abundance of water found in this fertile zone. The area is not easy to
reach; the steep mountainside landscape has obliged villagers to build a
network of terraces and ditches to optimize irrigation. The hilly
geography does not facilitate the use of machinery for carrying out
agricultural work. While this has posed a historical challenge to
agriculturists, it has helped preserve a natural aura that offers
observers a peek into a distant age that appears lost in time.
After the fall of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada in 1492, the
Andalusia Muslims were required by law to convert to Catholicism under
the Catholic monarchs after 1502. Muslims who refused to leave their
Andalusia homes to go to Northern Africa were known as
Moriscos.
They remained in this area until 1568, when the Morisco revolt lead by
Abén Humeya (whose Christian name of Fernando de Válor) was violently
defeated a year later by the Spanish king’s army. After the Castilian
victory, by order of the crown, two Morisco families were permitted to
continue living in each town to teach new Christian settlers from
Castile, Leon, and Galicia how to work the challenging terraced land and
maintain the irrigation system so vital to the local agriculture.
Unfortunately, the plan proved unsuccessful, and the traditional farming
systems were lost in favor of methods adopted from the central and
northern regions of the peninsula.
The influence of Northern Africa has been maintained in the region’s
architecture, clearly related to the Berbers, with homes that appear
stacked or overlapping to form passageway-tunnels called “
tinaos”. Houses also have flat roofs called
launa,
which are covered with gravel, affording residents rooftop terrace
spaces. There are no tiles here, and the home’s design takes advantage
of every square meter, each one playing a necessary and functional role.
Other Northern African elements that have been maintained in the
Alpujarra include many cooking traditions, the use of
jarapas (carpets made of recycled fabric), and the area’s place names such as Alcolea, Bentarique, La Taha, Ohanes…
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| Jarapa, traditional carpet from the Alpujarras |
The most common way to visit the area is through the town of
Lanjarón, one of the Alpujarra’s entry points along with Órgiva. Beyond
this spa-town (famous throughout Spain for its mineral water), visitors
follow winding mountain roads to cross the historic Tablate Bridge, the
scene of the last great battle between Christian soldiers and Alpujarra
Moriscos, the confrontation which ended the so-called
“Morisco
rebellion” in the third quarter of the 16
th century.
A few kilometers past the bridge and around a tight curve, the scenic
Poqueira River gorge offers fantastic views. The gorge is home to three
towns: Capileria, bubión, and Pampaneira, names that may sound Gaelic
but which are Arab in origin.
Visitors continuing on their journey may reach Trevélez, peninsular
Spain’s highest town, a place famous for its hams. Hams here are cured
in the cold, dry air of the Sierra Mountains, which is where the name
jamón
serrano comes from.
It is not surprising that this region has left an indelible
impression on many observers, such as the Granada writer Pedro Antonio
de Alarcón, who in 1874 published the book
La Alpujarra about this area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In 1957, British writer Gerald Brenan published
South from Granada,
a story that takes place in the Alpujarra town of Yegen and which was
made into a movie in 2003 by Fernando Colomo. The former drummer for the
music group Genesis, Chris Stewart, who is a resident in the local
mountain town of Órgiva, has recently published two enjoyable novels.
They narrate the adventures of a cosmopolitan Englishman who decides to
move to the seclusion of these mountains with his wife and daughter.
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia and
A Parrot In the Pepper Tree are both highly recommendable titles.
The scenic mountain atmosphere of the Alpujarra and its charming
villages make for enjoyable and memorable travel experiences. This is a
recommended trip for anyone visiting Spain and a must for those going to
Granada.
Text by: donquijote.org
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/places/cities/la-alpujarra
Photos by: Vive Alpujarra Proyecto
https://www.facebook.com/Vive.Alpujarra
