Routes of The legacy of al-Andalus Washington Irving and his itinerary through Granada

Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

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Seeing the walled towns and villages in the wild passes of these mountains, Víctor Hugo (1802-1885) describes his arrival in Granada exquisitely: built like eagles’ nests between crags and surrounded by Moorish battlements, “Be it near or far/ Spanish or Saracen / there is not a single city / which or ruined watchtowers sitting on high peaks, brings to mind the chivalrous times would dare to compete / with Granada, the beautiful, / for the prize of most of war between Moors and Christians and the romantic struggle to conquer beauty, / nor any which unfurls / with more grace and gaiety / nor more Oriental Granada. sparkle / below a clear sky”. Thus wrote Washington Irving about this Route in his journey through the Natural open spaces of the first order are in abundance, like the nearby lands of Granada. The prototype of the pure Romantic traveller, who passed most Torcal of Antequera; without doubt, one of the most spectacular in Andalusia. of his life travelling round Europe, and, attracted by the “exoticism” which the The erosion by water and wind and the passage of time, have carved whimsical country then offered, naturally landed up in Spain. He was appointed Ambassador forms in the rock, unbelievably counterpoised formations in stone, turbans or of the United States of America here, between 1842 and 1846. Of Scottish origins, carnivalesque heads of limestone, in the unreal light at dusk. The Salt Lagoon of Washington Irving undertook a journey beween the cities of Seville and Granada Fuente Piedra, the Laguna de la Ratosa, the Sierra de Loja and el Desfiladero de in 1829, identical to the one you could take. Fascinated by the richness of the Arab los Infiernos, which so impressed Irving, following the description which the civilization in Spain, he wrote two books on the subject. The first was the “History landlady of a tavern gave him of the Infiernos, over his dessert, between of the Conquest of Granada” and three years later, “The Tales of the Alhambra”, romances of brigands, stories of highwaymen and Morisco legends. We should where he narrates various legends about Granada, concerning Boabdil, an Arab also not forget the highest peak of the Iberian Peninsula, located in the Sierra astrologer and the Torre de las Infantas Nevada, the Mulhacén, which owes its name to the last Nasrid king of Granada, (The Princesses’ Tower), among Muley Hacen. others. From the historical point A camino real or main of view, the towns road, which acted as a trade that exist along this link between the kingdoms of road reflect splendid Granada and Castile, was traits of all the established for the first time, civilizations in the following the Treaty of 1244, which enabled history of Andalusia. the Nasrids to benefit from certain subsistence products in Christian Also the prehistoric ones, territory, in times of peace. A Route, therefore, of a pure frontier nature. like the so-called Peña de Irving’s trip has the extraordinary prologue of being a journey suggested as los Gitanos, near Montefrío, a tribute to the poet-king al-Mutamid, an itinerary which departs from Seville and where there are dolmens and crosses the province, dotted with towns and villages that had previously Megalithic tombs. History, Art, Nature and belonged to different coras and iqlim, or Arab districts. From the 12th century, also Literature; it isn’t surprising that this Route has been blessed with an food products and livestock, people and ideas, spices, dyes, herbal medicines, exceptional godfather like Washington Irving. These lands inspired his mind and grain, fruit, cloth, wool and above all silk, among other crafted products began to his pen, like those of many others. The border zones were the breeding ground of arrive in Granada, fiercely protected by a chain of forts. many conquest romances, or impossible love affairs between enemies, into which the Writer began to delve. This type of research of popular myths would, a The wealth and variety of the places along this trip to Granada, offer a great hundred years on, inspire a son of these lands, Federico García Lorca. selection of different things that will interest the traveller, such as the cuisine (based on the agricultural wealth of its orchards and fields, developed in the Emilio García Gómez compared the Route of Washington Irving, starting in period of al-Andalus), the crafts (rich and varied and the legacy of strong activity the low Andalusia of Frasquita Larrea and rising to the heights of the Seville of by the different guilds in the Middle Ages), shopping, the fiestas (which portray Fernán Caballero, to the “French Way” (camino francés) , which ends up in San- some of the most genuine facets of Andalusian traditions and will fascinate the tiago de Compostela, like that other Andaluz, in the Alhambra of Muhammad V. romantic, for their authenticity and picturesqueness), the enjoyment of the The northern route was trod year after year by pilgrims; the southern one was countryside and flamenco song. Loja, Montefrío…, have astonishing cultural laced with multiple shortcuts and diversions but Irving found them, because he wealth and owe much of this to the presence of the Moors. wasn’t hunting for architecture but rather, literature.

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Loja

“It is rustic and picturesque (not just in the military sense, as it has also and is situated in the fold of an always been a market town), with its Moorish alcazaba (citadel) set on a rocky arid mountainside. The ruins of knoll and framed by Christian belfries, still a Moorish alcázar crown a rocky creates a great surprise to the traveller. crag that sprouts up in the According to myth, it was founded by middle of the town. The River Noah’s grandson, Tubal, and given the name Alfeia. What is certain, is that the Genil bathes the town’s feet…” Phoenicians, who called it Tricolia, brought It is undesrtood that Loja, for the it commercial prosperity around the 8th c. Catholic Monarchs, was the “gate and BC. The Romans under Scipio Cneo key to the kingdom of Granada”. It is changed its name of Tricolia to that of Las- seated between two sierras, in the ex- civis (place of abundant and delicious wa- treme west of the Vega of Granada, ters); and the Arabs changed this to Medi- where the River Genil cuts out a gorge in na Lawsa. It was precisely the Muslims the last foothills of the Subbaetic moun- who gave it a true urban appearance. It tain range, forming a pass, the Des- occupied an important place in the civil filadero de los Infiernos, before flowing wars during the Caliphate of Cordova and into the Iznájar reservoir. The water later acquired a markedly military charac- which filters through the Sierra de Loja, ter, in order to protect the Vega, the ante- at the fringe of the Genil’s course, gives room to the Nasrid kingdom. rise to constantly fresh springs, which Ferdinand the Catholic laid siege to it in flow into ancient fountains. 1482, but in vain. Besieged The appearance of this strategic town

A general view with the ☛ Encarnación Church and the Alcazaba in the background

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again in 1486, he finally succeeded Cristianos (Christian Governors), in capturing it; an event which dating from the 17th c. and caused a great psychological alongside the Alcazaba, echo in the advance of the which reinforces and high- Conquest. More than 5,000 lights its appearance. Muslims left the town and Furthermore, the 16th c. moved to Granada. The fall Pósito Nuevo (commual of this town and all the granary), the Antigua rest of the Nasrid kingdom Casa de Cabildos and the was at hand and the anony- Palacio de Narváez, mous writers of romances a 19th c. French looking jumped at it jubilantly. construction, as well as the The Alcazaba, the military and Narváez gardens, a rural administrative centre of the Mediae- cortijo, with Isabelline furnish- val town, has had its ruinous aspect ings, at the spot called de Plines. since the times of Phillip II. A good part Loja, which al-Idrisi already confirmed as of the Mediaeval wall is still there, the an important hub of comunications, has Ochavada Tower, a very well preserved managed to preserve and look after a great cistern and remains of the central build- many of its traditions. The cuisine is an ex- ing. It is difficult to imagine what it must ample: sobreusa de habas (broad beans), have looked like at the time when it was considered practically inaccessible. Sheltering this crumbling edifice, is the tower of Santa María de la Encarnación, built over the Mediaeval mosque, which is part Gothic-Mudéjar, part Baroque and part Neo-Classic; the latter built by Ven- tura Rodríguez. The Church of San Gabriel, one of the finest examples of Granada Renaissance, is the work of Diego de Siloé; and the Church of Santa Catalina, of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Convent of Santa Clara, should be mentioned and various hermitages. Also, the big rambling House of the Alcaides

remojón de naranja (marinated orange), porra, gazpacho and the famous roscos and huesos de santo (Saints bones). Anoth- er example is the variety of song, like the fandango lojeño, or el trovo (A popular flamenco competition exists, called “la Volaera”). Also worth a mention, the Theatre Festival, in summer and the “incen- sarios” (incense burners) in Holy Week. Popular cooking and culinary art are both on offer in Loja. Trout is of special importance and particularly in nearby Riofrío, coupled with the recent commercialization of sturgeon and its caviar, and the traditional homemade confectionery. The Belfry of San Gabriel The Interior of the Iglesia Mayor ☛ ☛ The Encarnación Church The Fountain with twenty-five spouts The San Gabriel Church The los Infiernos Waterfall The Incensiarios (incense burners) in Holy Week

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Huétor Tájar

The road becomes smoother tem in the Vega. upon leaving behind the nar- Where white mul- berries and silk row passes of Loja and spreads were previously cul- out in the fertile valley of the tivated, to-day, above River Genil. The whitewashed all, asparagus is village of Huétor Tájar glim- grown. The local asparagus, of a very high quality, is the mers between the verdancy of undisputable protagonist in trees, orchards and fields. the cuisine of Huétor Tájar and is pre- pared in a thousand ways, in tortillas, The town was formed by the fusion of two soups and sauces... If one wishes to hamlets but that did not come to pass till come in more direct contract with this 1483, precisely in the same year when it vegetable, it only suffices to go into one was devastated once again by King Ferdi- of the cooperatives which produce it. nand in his conquest skirmishes. Both The parish church of Santa Isabel is hamlets have ancient origins: Huétor is situated in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento the corruption of a Roman name and Tá- and has a beautiful brick belfry. It is jar of an Arabic one; Ibn al-Jatib named it worth taking a walk along the banks Tarayat, and thus Taxara, Táhara, Tájar. of the Genil in the direction of the Finally conquered in 1497, the Morisco Esperanza quarter, along paths inhabitants continued living there and between fields and orchards, refreshed have, as an inheritance, a Moorish tower, by the sound of the river and irrigation which is now rather suffocated by the channels. town, and a magnificent irrigation sys-

The Parish Church ☛ of Santa Isabel

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Moraleda de Zafayona

In his guide book, Richard An area of cultivated fields in the valley Ford notes that, following and of livestock grazing in the highlands, during the Moorish period it Loja, “passing though a range was inhabited by Arab clans, as also of mountains, we arrived were the surrounding areas, living in at the Venta de Cacín, and scattered settlements. In the wake of then, like a promised land, the conquest and the resettlement, this gave rise to cortijos like those of Luján, the famous Vega de Granada la Duquesa, or la Venta de Cacín. By the opened up before us”. 19th century the site already counted with a nucleus of inhabitants, the origin This section of the Route continues of the actual population, made up of “80 parallel to the Genil, which is joined by caves which serve as lodgings for the the waters of the River Cacín. The road villagers, and a few houses constructed now transits Moraleda de Zafayona, an at their base”. old rural village set in the steps of the The slim tower of the Parish Church plateau that rises towards Alhama. This marks the centre of the town, which is is the limit beween the territory of Loja built on a slope, running down to the and Granada, in the Campo de Zafayona, banks of the River Cacín. An ancient or Campo de las Fuentes, from the Ibero-Roman settlement has been Arabic Fa al-uyun, through which one of located in the nearby Cerro de la Mora. the principal roads linking Málaga with Its excavation has revealed an ample the Nasrid capital passed. cultural sequence, which covers the period from the second Millennium before Christ up till the Middle Ages. A local curiosity worth mention, is the Vintage Car Museum.

The Parish Church ☛

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Alhama de Granada

“We left Vélez for Alhammah, It was fought over by Moors and or the Hot Springs, or Christians and it was the troops of the Catholic Monarchs who, in an audacious Alhama, a small town, with a move, captured it from the Muslims in very well constructed and 1482. Chroniclers of the time relate that placed mosque. It has a hot “800 Moors died and 3,000 were taken spring on the banks of its prisoner, leaving a rich bounty of gold and silver and pearls, silks, jewellery, river about a mile distant horses and mules, and an infinite from the town. There is a amount of wheat and barley”. house pertaining to the men’s The watchtower called the Torresolana baths and another for those is a hangover from those glorious times, as is the communal granary, the of the women”. Pósito, which is to found in the Plaza Alhama hangs on the edge of an impos- de Los Presos. To-day it is one of the ing ravine. Its origins are lost in the most important buildings relating to depths of time. First Iberian, then mediaeval Alhama. It was, furthermore, Phoenician and later Carthaginian, a synagogue in the 13th c. and became it absorbed all the cultures of the the town’s communal granary in the Mediterranean. Pliny called it Plinio Stici 16th c. and the Romans Artigi, but it was the However, as its name indicates, where Arabs who gave it its actual the most Moorish stamp survives is in name, al-hammam, hot- springs, or the Baths.

The Iglesia del ☛ Carmen, a former Carmelite convent

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the 16th centuries, its basic structure is Gothic, with a single nave of large proportions, below ribbed star-shaped vaults and with powerful buttresses on the outside. Renaissance elements were later added to the Gothic fabric, like the Choir and the upper sections of the tower, and the Renaissance detail on the southern façade, which substituted the the Arab quarter, a condensed example original Gothic. of Spanish-Muslim architecture. The local spa is of great interest. It Behind the principal church, stands a appears at the end of a picturesque 15th century building in Flemish-Gothic gorge, surrounded by a landscape of style, which is known as the Casa de la cliffs, water and exhuberant vegetation. Inquisición, and which has an impres- The use of the thermal waters, sive hewn stone façade, embellished by recommended for traumatological an artistic geminate window. conditions (rheumatism, arthrosis, The Prison and the Hospital de la Reina arthritis) and respertory ones, goes are other public buildings to be found back to Roman times. In the 12th in the environs of the same century, the Moors built the square. An inscription, dating magnificent baths one sees from 1674, on the façade of to-day over the Roman ones, the prison reminds us that which have a beautiful it was built in the reign of central room, with Carlos II. Mudejar, Gothic horseshoe arches and and Renaissance influ- cloistered vaults, where ences are the architectur- the spring sprouts forth. al mixture of the hospital, Alhama cuisine offers the initiated in 1485 and found- exceptional quality of the ed by the Catholic Monarchs, products of the area, above all as the first field hospital in the chickpeas and the pork products. kingdom of Granada. The ‘olla jameña’ is a special one The Iglesia del Carmen forms part of among the local thicks soups, stews and a former Carmelite convent and other dishes. Confectionery is also its architecture covers Mannerist notable, especially that of the Poor Classicism to elaborate Baroque. The Clares of San Diego. church is built on a rectangular base, with a carved wooden ceiling and side chapels. Its façade displays the coats of arms of the Alhama nobility and the cupola over the transept is decorated with frescoes. The alcove of the Virgin, behind the High Altar, and the Chapel of Jesús Nazareno, which are typical examples of the Churrigueresque Baroque of Granada of the 18th century, are of particular interest. The imposing tower of the Iglesia Mayor de Santa María de la Encarnación, probably built over the main mosque, is a point of visual reference in Alhama. Begun at the end of the 15th and beginning of

☛ A typical street, with the Main Church Interior of the Baths of Alhama of Santa María de la Encarnación The Casa de la Inquisición ☛ in the background Confectionery made by the Nuns

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Montefrío

The visual strength and the this place, towards the cultivated plains enormous geographical and and the valley of the Guadalquivir. The Nasrid king, Ismail III, was crowned here architectural impact of Mon- by the Abencerrages, and they remained tefrío captivates the new ar- here seven years in fear of returning to rival from his first glimpse of the Court at Granada, where Mohammed X it. The centre of the town cre- (1445-1453) reigned. King Juan II helped Is- mail and the Abencerrages to lay seige to ates a white band between the Granada. The astute Mohammed invited rock supporting the town’s the latter to send an embassy and had church and the hillside called them all decapitated in what is to-day the Cerro del Calvario. called the Hall of Abencerrages in the Al- hambra. Ismail fled to the Alpujarras, The road moves northwards and begins where he would later on be claimed King to rise. All of a sudden, almost like a of Granada, with the name of Yusuf V. menace, Montefrío appears, perched up Montefrío would be taken by the Catholic high on a geological wave, that looks as Monarchs in 1486. The Arab fortress, if it were about to capsize: without which consists of a castle and its ram- doubt, one of the most picturesque parts was built upon former Roman re- scenes in the province of Granada. mains. Some towers of the ramparts, It was already wealthy in ancient times. traces of the original wall, the cistern and The Mons Frigus of the Romans, Montefrid various remains of mid-14th century con- of the Arabs, must have bordered a com- structions, still stand. The Iglesia de la Vil- mercial route that ran from Torre del Mar la is the most and Vélez-Málaga, passing Alhama and striking old

The white houses of ☛ Montefrío and in the background, upon the rocky, the Iglesia de la Villa

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building in Montefrío, due to its location The mountainous surroundings are ideal at the tip of the rock. It is Gothic-Renais- for walks, bike and horse riding, mountain sance in style and was built upon an old climbing etc. Interesting places include mosque between 1549 and 1570. It is at- the Roman bridge, which is still in use, tributed to Diego de Siloé, assisted by about 1.5 km. in the direction of Algarine- Francisco Hernández. One of the Mon- jo, and at around 5 km. in the direction of archs’ heralds donated the 16th c. hospi- Íllora, La Peña de los Gitanos, an exten- tal of San Juan de los Reyes. The impos- sive area of terraces between limestone ing Church of San Antonio was built out- rocks, where more than a hundred Maga- side the town. It is popularly called “la lithic graves and settlements have been Panera”, as it occupies what was the excavated; an extraordinary archae- flour mill of an old Franciscan ological complex. convent. Located on the Cerro Olive oil, cuisine. The climate, del Calvario, it has a Baroque soil and varieties of cultivat- façade and a hewn stone al- ed olive, contribute to the tarpiece, with an ample exceptional quality of the nave and vault. The Town extra virgin olive oils from Hall is installed in a fine old Montefrío, whose olive house dating from1787 and groves constitute the princi- the Pósito, a granary built in pal agricultural activity. The 1795 is in Neo-Classical style. varieties are predominantly The Encarnación church is in Picual, Picuda and Hojiblanca, the same style; a solid, original together with some local ones. and voluminous square Ashlar build- Apart from the olive oils and the ing, popularly known as the “la rotonda” cheeses, the local fare includes a deli- (Rotunda), it is a very important example cious repertoire of local recipés with of Andalusian Neo-classicism, and is dishes like el choto (kid) con ajos, el rel- among one of the best projects left by leno de carnaval, sesos (brains) al moje- Ventura Rodríguez in the province of teo, thick soups, tortillas de papas, as- Granada. The Virgen de los Remedios, the paragus and collejas, and roasted dishes, patron saint, is venerated in this church.. not forgetting game specialities, the The houses seem encrusted in the rock, charcuterie and the confectionery, in- at the foot of the castle’s mirador, and cluding bollos de manteca, aceite con continue down the street called San Se- pasas, roscos de sartén, borrachuelos, bastián, as far as the Plaza de España, cuajaos and pestiños. which is the town centre with the Ayun- tamiento, the Casa de Oficios, a harmo- nious building dating from 1579, and the Encarnación church. From here, long winding streets lead to the hill at the oth- er end of the village where the church of San Antonio and the sobre neo-classical granary, el Pósito, are to be found. ☛ A general view of Montefrío The Encarnación church

The La Peña de los Gitanos dolmen ☛ The Church of San Antonio Extra virgin olive oil from Montefrío

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Íllora

“The Apple of Granada’s eye”. landscape of olive groves spreads out This is what this privileged before the traveller’s eyes, together with farmlands and orchards, which run down fortress, seated on the skirt the slopes of the Vega del Genil. In the of the Sierra de Parapanda and distance, to the East, the Sierra Nevada. overlooking the Vega, was The whitewashed buildings of Íllora cling called. Pliny mentions it as to the rocky hillside. There have been many prehistoric finds in the areas Ilurco; but it was the Suevians, around Íllora and in the town itself, the Visigoths and the Arabs, Roman baths have been found, which and especially the Nasrids, prove the existence of a town prior to its who built this powerful consolidation under the Moorish domination. Information goes back to fortress, around which the the 10th and 11th centuries, when al-Udri town came into being. refers to it under the name of Illywra, in his reference to the province of Elvira. The journey continues through the West- Situated near various passes in the ern Mountains, following the hills of the north of the Vega, from the 13th c. Sierra de Parapanda, until it reaches Íllo- onwards it became one of the chief ra, seated in their lap. A multicoloured strongholds of the Nasrid frontier; and then in the frontline, following the fall of Alcalá la Real in 1341.

A general view with the Encarnación church and the hill ☛ with the remains of the castle.

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After laying siege and attacking the praiseworthy Baroque altarpieces are to suburbs, the shot from the eighteen be found, together with paintings -like Lombard canons forced the the Virgen con el Niño, similar to Alonso Muslim capitulation and the Cano in style-, images and gold and sil- exodus of the population to ver objects, aswell as a few articles and Granada. Its first Christian relics of the cult of San Rogelio, Patron governor was Gonzalo Saint of the town. Fernández de Córdoba, the The Plaza de San Rogelio is the tradition- Gran Capitán, the remains al meeting point in Íllora, with the enor- of whose mansion still exist, mous parish church, dominating the ers, in Brácana. All along the road to with his coat of arms on the town centre and the old Town Hall, now Montefrío, which goes up through the façade. In its new phase, Íllora converted into the local History Museum. sierras of Parapanda and Pelada, there was one of the Seven Towns, Behind it, the rocky hill rises straight out are wonderful panoramic views. The which acted as granary and larder of the town, with the ruins of the Sierra de Parapanda reaches an alti- to the capital. Bit by bit, as the upper walls and the castle above. En- tude of 1,604 metres and occu- part of the town became depopulated, tering through the calle Al- pies an important position in the actual town grew at its feet, around menillas, one comes across the life of the people of the Illywra, at that time underwent a trans- the square and the church. one of the oldest gates of plains, who consider it formation into a fortified town with a The fortifications of the mediaeval town, the fortress, dating from their barometer and re- castle, walled precinct and suburbs and the castle and the walls, are situated on the 10th c. The streets call the saying, “When was given the nickname, “Granada’s right the top of a rocky hill in the middle of the called Real, la Cárcel, Parapanda wears a cap, eye”, resulting from its importance as a town. The construction is basically Moor- and the Cuesta del Pilar there’ll be rain, even if defensive vantage point. The protagonist ish with elements of the Caliphate and Alto, are the main thor- God doesn’t want it”. of incessant feats of arms, it was finally Taifa periods, of the 10th and 11th cen- oughfares of the town, Worth a special mention conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in turies. The Nasrids gave it its final appear- where there are a number is the place called Molino the spring of 1486. At the time of the Con- ance, following the reforms undertaken in of fine old mansions and del Rey, in the area of Soto quest, the chronicler Hernando del Pul- the 14th c. At the summit, the castle tow- the new Town Hall, in the for- de Roma, with a spectacular gar described it in the following words: ers can be distinguished, the “old mer Franciscan convent of the early 19th c. aqueduct and the “This town is placed in a valley, where woman’s teeth”, and further down, the Order of San Pedro Alcántara. hamlet of Alomartes, with its 18th c. there is a very extensive fertile plain, and vestiges of another two walled precincts, There are some very interesting places in neo-classical church, the Molino de la in that valley there is high rock which which protected the area around the site the surrounding countryside. One can Torre, an example of one of the best pre- dominates the whole surroundings; and of the former Grand Mosque and which still see the remains of the La Mesa served traditional watermills. It is worth on the very top of that rock, there is a are now no longer inhabited. watchtower, on the way to Alcalá la Real, stopping awhile to enjoy a rest and listen town, with strong towers and walls…”. The Encarnación church is a splendid ex- and of the Tocón and La Encantada tow- to the murmur of the rushing waters. ample of architecture in transition from Gothic to Renaissance, which predomi- nated in most of the churches built after the Christian conquest in the area of Los Montes. Designed by Diego de Siloé, with the help of his disciple Juan de Maeda and other master builders, the basic con- struction was undertaken between 1542 and 1573, using “almendrilla” stone, which has a toasted hue, and was ex- tracted from places nearby. It is a volu- minous edifice, of delicate structure in Renaissance proportions, with a solid belfry and elegant porticoes, with classi- cist sculpturing by Diego de Pesquera. In the interior, the nave is of ample propor- tions with ribbed vaults, embedded columns and side chapels, where two

The porticoed façade of the Molino de la Torre A typical street ☛ ☛ The tower of the Encarnación church A portico with sculptured relief The Encarnación church

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Fuente Vaqueros

“In this village, I had my first monument to dream of distant places. In García Lorca by Cayetano Aníbal, this village, I will be the earth is prolonged by and the flowers”. Federico the Paseo de la Reina and runs north- García Lorca was born on the wards. At this point, there is an obligatory 5th of June 1898 in house of stop. Every traveller along this route should make a point of visiting the Casa- the village teacher, Doña Museo de Federico García Lorca. Re- Vicenta Lorca, his mother. stored tastefully and skilfully, the ground floor rooms reflect the period of his These lands formed part of the Sitio Real; youth in both decoration and furnishings, a property of 1,500 hectares, with thick whereas the first floor, which was once a woods and planted land, where a Casa granary, is arranged as a space for exhibi- Real (Royal House) was built. In 1813 Soto tions and cultural events. The surround- de Roma was ceded to the Duke of ings of the town are dotted with cortijos, Wellington, in recognition of services the dependencies of la Paz, with is simple rendered during the War of Independence. hermitage, and Pedro Ruiz, and also invite Plaza del Ayuntamiento The is the the traveller to take a stroll through the towncentre, from which the main countryside, between shady poplar streets of the village radiate. The groves and green pastures, lulled by the Avenida de Andalucía goes sound of the eternal flow of the eastwards, the Avenida del irrigation channels. Genil runs down to the river, Paseo del Prado, with its

The Patio and façade of Federico ☛ García Lorca’s birthplace The Iglesia de la Paz

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Chauchina

Ibn al-Jatib of Loja mentions de Roma - an orchard, this place in the 14th c., known which in the words of Washington Irving, “was a then as Yay’yana. Better retreat founded by documented is the fortress Count Julian to console that stood in this area, the his daughter, Florinda”- Torre de Roma, in which the experienced various feats of arms. populace must have taken The centre of the town lies between the refuge during the enormous Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the Parish upheavals at the end of the Church, a building that was begun at the Middle Ages. end of the15th c. and very much altered in later periods, although it still con- Chauchina’s link with its fertile surround- serves the original belfry. Beside it, one’s ings in the middle of the Vega of the Ge- attention is caught by the “La Peana”, a nil, is such that there are those who piece of a column that had been extract- claim that its origins stem from the Latin ed from the Loja quarries and which was word sancius, a corruption of salix, or destined for the construction of Charles willow, given the abundance of these V’s palace in the Alhambra. The Torre de trees along the riverbanks. Whatever the Roma is of particular historical interest answer, proof has been found of the exis- and served as a Nasrid defensive bastion tence of human settlement here, from in the 15th century. the Neolithic to the Iberian eras, thanks to the discovery of pottery, utensils and coins. Settlement was consolidated how- ever, during the Muslim era. The legendary Torre de Roma, which lent its name to Soto

☛ The Parish Church

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Santa Fe

The town, which was founded the Nasrid kingdom was agreed and the in 1491, served as a headquar- future of its inhabitants decided. Like- wise, the decisive conversations with ters for the Cathoic Monarchs, Christopher Columbus took place in this during the seige of Granada. It building, leading to contracts with the was designed on straight admiral, which were signed “in Sancta lines, rectangular in shape and Fee on the Seventeenth of April of the year Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-two”, with a gate at each end. a milestone which would lead to the dis- Santa Fe served as the exclusive seat of covery of America and a new era, the Catholic Court, duplicating this role marked by the opening up of relations with Granada, until the departure of the there. Upon the departure of the King King and Queen in May of that year, thus and Queen, Don Francisco de Bobadilla converting itself into a privileged his- was appointed governor and the town torical place for several months. The ca- entered on a peaceful existence, im- pitulation was signed on the 25th of No- mersed in the agricultural activities vember 1491, in the town’s modest Casa common to all towns in the Vega, with Real (Royal House), between the king, the exception of a violent earthquake in Boabdil, and Isabella and Ferdinand, in 1806, which caused serious damage . town centre which the handing over of The of Santa Fe is worth visiting, as it corre- sponds to the original town built in 1491. The construction of the town from scratch,

The Parish Church of the Encarnación ☛

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at the orders of the The Parish Church: Dedicated to Nuestra Catholic Mon- Señora de la Encarnación, the original archs, was en- church was substituted in the 18th c. by trusted to the the present enormous neo-classical cities of Seville, building. The designs were conceived by Jerez, Cordova the architect Domingo Lois de Monteagu- and Andújar, do, with the assistance of Ventura Ro- each one respon- dríguez, and the construction supervised sible for the build- by Francisco Quintillán. It was completed ing of one of the four in 1785. It follows the plan of a Latin cross, quarters into which it was divided. The with a cupola on the transept and the plan was based on the fortified model Sanctuary is an elegant chapel, now the of Briviesca, rectangular in shape, with Baptistry . It has an imposing façade, with straight streets crossing each other at two octagonal towers and various ele- right angles, surrounded by a moat, ments that relate to the original church. walls, towers and defensive ramparts. The visit to the town centre, with its The chronicles say that it was complet- buildings and monuments, and a walk ed in eighty days. The public buildings were constructed in the centre of this square, the Casa Real, the Parish Church and nearby, an hospital, the corn ex- change and others. To-day, on one side of the Plaza de España, the parish priest’s house stands on the site of the Casa Real, which it substituted in the 18th century. The communal granary stands opposite and was built by Carlos III. The Town Hall stands on the eastern side of the plaza and was built in 1923 in a Neo-Mudejar style, with a brick façade and with emblems of the Span- ish-American countries in ceramics. The two central cross-streets of the historical sector, terminate in four large round other points of interest nearby, gates. These are the Gates of Granada, such as the hermitage called Los Galle- to the East, Seville, to the South, Jaén, to gos or Señor de la Salud, and the the North and Loja, to the West. The Loja Baroque Augustine convent, round off an Gate was built in 1652, whereas the attractive itinerary. Beyond, lie the fertile others are all 18th century, each with a lands of the Vega, irrigated by the River chapel over the archway. Genil and a multitude of channnels, which run through the fields of intensive farming; maize fields, poplar groves, veg- etable farms, punctuated by farmsteads and barns for drying tobacco. Local cuisine is based on the excellent vegetables and fruit produced in the Vega. Dishes prepared with thyme and aromatic herbs are very popular, aswell as the emblematic sweet of Santa Fe, the piononos. Handicrafts include taxi- dermy, which is still practised in the odd workshop. A portrait of Isabella the Catholic The Loja Gate ☛

☛ The Coat of Arms of Santa Fe A dish prepared with thyme

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Granada

Washington Irving, in his cele- in the 11th c., it became a principality of brated Tales of the Alhambra, al-Andalus. The Berber Zirid dynasty con- trolled its destiny until it succumbed to leaves his impressions quite the North African empire of the Al- clear in the lines he wrote on moravids, who counted on Garnata as leaving Granada in 1829: “I one of their principal sources of support, now could realize something of until their decline in the first half of the 13th c. It is at this point that Granada ac- the feelings of poor Boabdil, quired its singularity, thanks to Muham- when he bade adieu to the par- mad Ibn al-Ahma, who opened it up to a adise he was leaving behind…” brilliant period of cultural and artistic splendour; a series of events which The traveller’s aspirations are fully satis- would fire the imagination of the Roman- fied on completing the Route and upon tics until 1492, when the Catholic Mon- sighting the capital, as would have been archs converted it to Christianity. Church- the case for the Romantic travellers two es, monasteries, palaces and other build- centuries ago. Its rich past is consistent ings then proliferated, which added a ma- with its irresistable magnetism. It all be- jestic collection of Gothic Renaissance gan in the small Iberian village of Iliberis, and Baroque art to the legacy of al-An- which prospered in the Roman and Visig- dalus. In the 19th c., the Romantic trav- othic periods under the name ellers shouted of Elvira. Following the arrival of the Muslims, the area grew and

☛ A Morisco house

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occupied by the mosque, are the Lonja Homenaje (keep), the first Royal residence, and the Capilla Real, symbol of the the Torre de las Armas, above a gateway, Catholic Monarchs in the city which they and the Torre la Vela, or de la Campana, conquered. This is their Mausoleum, a the foremost of them, with incomparable severe 16th c. edifice. The Cathedral rises views over Granada and the Vega. alongside the Chapel, a grandiose Renais- In the old Royal Residence, there are a sance church in whose construction Diego succession of palatial buildings such as de Siloé was involved and the Baroque the Mexuar, where the Sura (Council of façade of which was the work of Alonso Ministers) met, with an oratory and the Cano. In the vecinity of the Cathedral, Golden Room, where the sultan received their “discovery” to the four winds and there is a chain of attractive neighbour- his subjects, with an elaborate façade in raised its category to that of paradise, hoods, full of romantic references, like the plasterwork, the construction of which thus attracting a torrent of visitors. house of Eugenia de Montijo, in the calle was ordered in 1370 by Muhammad V. The brief list of walks that follows, evokes Gracia, and a host of historical references, This flanks the passage to the Patio de the steps taken by Washington Irving, to- from the Iglesia de los santos Justo y los Arrayanes or Patio de la Alberca, a gether with the favourite spots of the Ro- Pastor, to San Juan de Dios, a fine tranquil pool which reflects the Torre de mantics. The Royal Hospital was the first Baroque building, and San Jerónimo. Comares, site of the fabulous Hall of the building reached, coming along the road After walking through the narrow streets dens, which finally resulted in the most Ambassadors, covered by the symbolic from Santa Fe. Built at the command of in the centre, Irving immediately headed extensive military and palatine complex timberwork ceiling, which represents the the Catholic Monarchs in the 16th cen- for the Alhambra, the sanctum sanc- in the Muslim world. seven heavens on the path to Allah, in tury, it has a lovely Renaissance torum of the Romantic traveller. On passing through the recessed en- one of the most important rooms of the cloister. Continuing towards the After crossing the Plaza de Isabel trance of the Gate of Justice, a ramp whole complex. Moving on, one reaches centre along the Gran Vía, Grana- la Católica and the Plaza Nueva, leads up to the Puerta del Vino, which the Palace of the Lions, distributed da’s main artery, one reaches the on the side of which is the at- demonstrates the refinement of Nasrid around a patio, with a gallery of 124 mar- Corral del Carbón, which is the tractive façade of the Chancery, architecture. Alongside, is the Plaza de ble columns and a fountain supported by old wheat exchange, or Alhóndiga built in 1531, “we went up the los Aljibes and the Palace of Charles V, a 12 lions. To the South, the Sala de los Yidida, and a Nasrid building from calle de los Gomeres, the name majestic Renaissance building, designed Abencerrajes, with its splendid honey- the mid-14th c., with an exquisite of a Moorish family, famous in by Pedro Machuca at the beginning of combed dome, where it is said the nobles façade, horseshoe arch and a porticoed chronicles and romances”, to the the 16th c., with a circular porticoed pa- of the Abencerrage clan perished. To the patio. Nearby are the Plaza del Carmen, Puerta de las Granadas. On a spur to the tio, within the square-shaped frame. North, the Hall of the Two Sisters and with the Ayuntamiento, and the cross- south, stands the castle of Torres Berme- The Alcazaba, built in the mid-13th c., con- the Lindaraja mirador, which gives onto a roads at the Puerta Real, aswell as the in- jas, which dates from the 11th century. sists of a very strong perimeter wall, a pa- small garden, adjoining Charles V’s tricate stretch of streets and squares, full Ahead lie the steep paths, which, be- rade ground, a military quarter and vari- apartments, which is where Washington of activity and local colour. They include tween the murmur of streams, rise ous towers, such as that of the Torre del Irving lodged during his stay in Granada. the Plaza Bib-Rambla, the calle del Za- through the woods to the Pilar de Carlos catín, the Alcaicería, the calle Oficios and V (a fountain) and the Puerta de la Justi- the Plaza del Cabildo, where the Madraza cia, built at the order of Yusuf I in 1348. stands; the centre for studies founded by The Hand of Fátima, a Muslim talisman Yusuf I in 1349, and dedicated to theology, alluding to Coranic laws, can be seen on philosophy, medicine, mathematics and the façade, and the key, an emblem of other sciences. Opposite, by the side of the power of the Faith, frequently used the Cathedral and on the spot formerly by the Nasrids. Finally, the Alhambra, from the Arabic al-hamra, the red, oppo- site the Albaicín and built by Muhammad Ibn al-Ahmar. “As always, the setting sun casts a melancholy splendour on the ruddy towers of the Alhambra” wrote W. Irving. In the course of the 13th and 14th centuries, his succesors, and in particu- lar Yusuf I and Muhammad V, continued the work of construction, adding walls, towers, gates, mosques, palaces and gar-

The Façade of the Royal Chapel A balcony in the Madraza ☛ A Portrait of Washington Irving The Alhambra ☛ The Patio of the Corral del Carbón

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sia de Santa Ana, a synthesis of Renais- overlooked by the pointed towers of the sance and Mudéjar, one goes up the Baroque Iglesia de las Angustias, Patron Carrera del Darro. Following the canal- Saint of the city, leads on to the Paseo ized river one passes El Bañuelo, the No- del Salón and the course of River Genil. gal Moorish baths, the convent of Santa On the left bank, along the Paseo del Vio- Catalina and the Casa de Zafra, the Casa lón, are two final references. Beyond the de Castril, now the Archaeological Muse- walls, the San Sebastián Hermitage of um, the church of San Pedro y Pablo, until delicate brickwork; a former Muslim one reaches the Paseo de los Tristes. Up- marabout and oratory, and the Alcázar river, one comes onto a path between del Genil, a sumptuous palace surround- groves and trees, leading to the Fuente las Pesas, the convent of Santa Isabel la ed by pools and orchards, which be- del Avellano. The Albaicin Quarter rises Real and the Palacio de Daralhorra, the longed to the Nasrid queens, with exqui- up a hill on the righthand bank of the elegant “Sultana’s House”, which was site rooms covered in delicate honey- Darro and is a maze of miradors and cy- built in the 15th c. in the grounds of the comb plasterwork and inscriptions. presses, slopes, cobbled streets and former 11th c. alcazaba of the Zirid kings. The city is still an impo- squares with springs, of houses and To the West and the North, the streets rant centre of crafts- cármenes of churches which were run downwards, like the picturesque men, particularly Tocador de la Reina It is near the , a mi- mosques, convents, walls and doors, Calderería, as far as the line of the old with regard to the rador with a privileged view of the Al- nooks and cranies, handicraft workshops city wall, marked by the formidable Puer- use of wood in The Royal Baths baicín are between the and popular taverns. One discovers the ta de Elvira, of Nasrid construction, the things like mar- palaces of Comares and the Lions. To the very esence of Granada. The Cuesta del Puerta de Monaita and the ramparts of quetry, pottery, Hall of the Kings East, the luxurious , an Chapiz, lined with palaces and al-Andalus the Cuesta de Alhacaba, which defined metalwork, jew- area given over to receptions and ban- houses, runs uphill, leaving the road to the perimeter of the Zirid citadel. San ellery, stone and Palacio del Partal quets. The is the old- Sacromonte to one side, a hill on which Cristóbal and San Miguel Alto are the glasswork. Old Traditions are maintained est, built at the beginning of the the Abbey stands and the fa- two churches with spectacular miradors, in all the varieties of pottery and ceramic 14th c. and together with mous gypsy quarter of which crown the rises to the West and the work, and the ceramics of al-Andalus in- Ladies Tower the , and caves; the showcase of North of the Albaicin and the Alhambra. spiration stand out; those with metallic Oratory the , stands traditional gypsy folk- Taking the Alhambra as the centrepoint finishes, cuerda seca, depicting the around another cen- lore and customs, so for these walks through Granada, one pomegranate, or Fajalauza. tral pool. Various oth- loved by the Roman- now moves to the south and the east, This fascinating walk through the city can er towers, such as the tics. A trail of interest- through the neighbourhoods of Mauror, be rounded off at the Cartuja monastery Cautiva Las Infantas , or , ing places mark the walk the former Jewry, and Antequeruela, or at the Huerta de San Vicente, with its Genera- are on the way to the through the Alabaicin, like the sweet little pathways, embellished by the links to Lorca. Following the Genil upriver, life , the summer palace, which was built San Juan de los Reyes church and, on carmen of the Rodríguez Acosta Founda- on the road to the Sierra Nevada, Solair, between the end of the 13th c. and the the higher part, the Salvador church, tion, the Casa Museo of the composer or “Snowy Maountains”, one arrives at beginning of the 14th c. and which recre- which still conserves the patio of ablu- Manuel de Falla, the Auditorium and the the summit of the Iberian Peninsula, ates a universal paradise of verdure and tions, of the main mosque in the quarter. Carmen de los Mártires, where once dominated by the peak of Mulhacén, at water, with a splendid residence, amidst At the summit, one reaches the Iglesia de again one can experience the heavenly 3,482 metres. Over a century and a half gardens and orchards. San Nicolás, with its square, its spring calm of the gardens of Granada. Further ago, Richard Ford didn’t hesitate to rec- The descent from the Alhambra leads to and its mirador, from where one can down, one comes to the Campo del ommend this trip: “The lover of Alpine other no less romantic spots. From the watch the “most beautiful sunsets in the Príncipe, a large and welcoming meeting landscapes should, by whatever means in Igle- Plaza Nueva, with the portico of the world...” In the vecinity are the Arco de place, and the Realejo quarter, moving on his grasp, ascend the Sierra Nevada…” to the Campillo Bajo, where the more rel- evant points of interest include palaces, like the Casa de los Tiros and Father Suarez’s house, churches like that of San- to Domingo, enclaves like the Plaza de Mariana Pineda, with its totally romantic feel, and the Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, or Palacio de Almanxarra, which constitutes the remains of the Nas- rid royal residence. The Carrera del Genil, The Patio of the Iglesia del Salvador The Church of San Cristóbal ☛ Dancing, with the Alhambra in the background A Ceramic tile ☛ The Zirid Ramparts The Sierra Nevada with Granada at its feet San Cecilio

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