EL CONDADO Ocho municipios forman El Condado, en el El Condado, located in the north of the pro- norte de la provincia de Jaén, sobre más de vince of Jaén, comprises eight municipal dis- mil quinientos km2 ocupados por un mosai- tricts and covers an area of over 1,500 km2. It co diverso de paisajes: tierras rojas y oliva- has a diverse mosaic of landscapes: red earth res; singulares dehesas de encinar, laderas y and olive groves, the unique ecosystem of valles de monte mediterráneo, y un buen holm oak pastures known as the dehesa, hill- número de arroyos, ríos y embalses. sides and valleys with typical Mediterranean El Condado fue territorio fronterizo y mountain vegetation, as well as an abundan- encrucijada de caminos. Huellas de dino- ce of streams, rivers and reservoirs. saurio, arte rupestre, íberos, puentes roma- El Condado was once a frontier territory, and nos, castillos y torreones, pueblos de colo- stands on a crossroads. Dinosaur tracks, rock nización, museos, centros de interpreta- arts, Iberians culture, Roman bridges, castles ción, yacimientos visitables, iglesias, núcle- and towers, settlers' towns, museums, visitor os de trama urbana de origen árabe con centres, archaeological sites open to the public, calles serpenteantes y empinadas, paisajes churches, villages and towns with steep and del poeta medieval Jorge Manrique, casas winding streets whose urban layouts date modernistas,… son algunas de las múltiples from Arab times, landscapes of medieval poet sugerencias para visitar y conocer esta Jorge Manrique, modernist houses… these are zona. just a few of the countless options on offer for Una comarca noble por su origen y por la visitors wishing to explore this area. hospitalidad de sus habitantes, que trabaja The nobility of this region stems from its con ilusión en ofrecer Calidad Rural en origins and from the hospitality of its inhabi- productos, servicios y paisajes. Que abre sus tants, all of whom are wholly committed to puertas a un turista ávido de un mundo ensuring maximum Rural Quality in their rural auténtico, apegado al territorio, al products, services and in the state of the campo y sus labores, en plena naturaleza landscape. They offer a friendly welcome to de Sierra Morena. visitors wishing to discover this genuine rural world which is deeply rooted in local tradi- tion, in the land and in farming, and set in the heart of the Sierra Morena mountains. M. Torres 1 Territorio Las tonalidades oscuras y la densidad del The dark colours of the dense vegetation so monte mediterráneo han catalogado a Sierra typical of the Mediterranean countryside Morena como escenario de leyendas en las have forged the Sierra Morena's reputation que hombres viven con una naturaleza sal- as a land of legends, where men have lived vaje y desconocida. Mitos como el de los immersed in nature in all its impenetrable bandoleros y escenarios que han generado wildness. These landscapes have seen figures películas como ”Entre lobos” en este tipo de of folklore such as bandits and highwaymen, paisajes. and served as the backdrop for various films, El monte bajo denso y profundo de enci- including “Entre lobos” (“Among wolves”). nas, alcornoques, madroños, enebros, que- The northern part of El Condado is populated jigos, torviscos, jaras,…y el pinar de repo- by deep, dense undergrowth beneath a canopy blación ocupan el norte de El Condado en of holm oaks, cork oaks, strawberry trees, juni- un relieve moderado en altura y acciden- pers, gall oaks, daphne, rock rose… as well as tado en diferentes barrancos y arroyos. La reforested areas of pine trees on moderately ausencia de poblaciones permite un high and mountain landscapes cleft with corredor natural de más de 100 km surca- various gorges and streams. The absence of do por caminos de trashumancia y pistas towns and villages creates a natural corridor of forestales en los que es frecuente atisbar over 100 kilometres, which is criss-crossed by diferentes ejemplares de animales como cattle migration routes and forest trails where águilas reales e imperiales, búhos, cárabos, visitors can frequently spy wildlife such as gol- buitres leonados, zorros, ginetas, gatos den and imperial eagles, owls, tawny owls, grif- monteses,… junto con numerosos reptiles fin vultures, foxes, genets, wild cats… in addi- y anfibios. También las especies cinegéti- tion to numerous reptiles and amphibians. cas como jabalí, ciervos, gamos y muflo- There is also an abundance of game species nes caracterizan a esta sierra como desti- such as wild boar, red deer, fallow deer and no famoso entre cazadores. mouflons, which make this mountain area a well-known destination for hunters. 2 M. Torres Territory La inclusión en la Red Natura 2000 como Its inclusion in the Natura 2000 network as territorios de especial interés para la conser- a territory of special interest for the conser- vación de especies amenazadas como el vation of endangered species such as the lince ibérico, actualmente en proceso de Iberian lynx, currently undergoing a pro- reintroducción, certifica el valor ambiental gramme of reintroduction, underlines the y ecológico del territorio de El Condado. environmental and ecological value of Junto a la caza y el aprovechamiento fores- the territory of El Condado. In addition to tal y ganadero, aún perduran otras activida- hunting, forestry and cattle farming, there des de marcada tradición rural como la reco- are various other activities with a marked lección de setas y plantas aromáticas, la rural tradition which take place here, inclu- extracción del corcho y la apicultura. ding collecting wild mushrooms and aroma- Hacia el sur el aclarado de árboles y mato- tic plants, cork harvesting and beekeeping. rrales, transforma el paisaje de monte en Towards the south the tree and shrub cover gives dehesas alomadas. Escenarios del aprove- way to a natural landscape of gently sloping spar- chamiento sostenible de recursos fores- sely wooded pastures. This environment is the tales, agrícolas y ganaderos, que generan perfect example of the concept of sustainable uno de los ecosistemas más biodiversos por exploitation, and is used for forestry, farming la multiplicidad de especies herbáceas. and cattle farming, generating a highly biodiver- Éstas tiñen de colores en primavera y otoño se ecosystem thanks to the wide variety of herb estos parajes de gran belleza. species to be found here. In spring and autumn the landscape is transformed by carpets of these plants which create swathes of gorgeous colours. As well as holm oaks and birch trees, and cork oaks on the shadier mountainsides, this typi- cal landscape of wooded pastures known as the dehesa is also populated by rock rose, alders, ash, mastic... and is home to numerous species such as tits, willow warblers, hoopoes, birds of prey, rabbits and hares, in addition to flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of cows. Fighting bulls also roam over many of the wooded pastures in El Condado, as the region is home to around twenty bull-breeding ran- ches. Some of these farms have adapted their facilities and provide a variety of restaurant and accommodation services so visitors can learn more about the secrets of handling, bre- eding and selecting the cattle, while they enjoy the spectacle of the fighting bull in its natural setting. A visit to the different enclo- sures, a chance to speak to the farm foreman, M. Torres witnessing in hushed silence the trial bullfights 3 a su naturalez es el toro en cenario de leyendas valor ambiental y ecologico Juntos a las encinas o coscojas, y los alcor- known as tientas, sharing in a range of agricul- noques en laderas más umbrías, el paisaje tural tasks such as horse-shoeing… these are de dehesa se completa con jaras, alisios, just a few of the attractive options on offer to fresnos, lentiscos… habitado por numerosos visitors in this outstanding natural setting. pájaros como carboneros, mosquiteros, Further towards the south, near the towns and abubillas, nidos de rapaces, conejos, liebres y villages, visitors will come upon a sea of olive surtidos rebaños de ovejas, cabras y vacas. groves, made up of over 8 million trees and M. Torres El toro de lidia ocupa muchas de estas where different shades of green stand out dehesas en El Condado, que cuenta con against the red clay of the rolling landscapes of cerca de una veintena de ganaderías. El Condado, in stark contrast with the clays and Algunas de ellas han adaptado sus insta- white loams to be found to the south of the laciones y ofrecen servicios de restaura- Guadalimar river. It is particularly worth noting ción y alojamiento, permiten acercarse a the spectacular and abruptly sloping terraces conocer y descubrir los secretos del mane- which are a testament to the labours of gene- jo, cría y selección de la ganadería y dis- rations of rural folk who were determined to frutar de “el toro en su naturaleza”. use every last plot of land and farm their olive 4 Recorrer los diferentes cercados, hablar groves despite the difficulty of using mechani- mar de olivos sostenible ovechamiento agua apr con el mayoral, asistir en silencio a una cal means. The olive harvest takes place betwe- tienta, compartir otras tareas ganaderas en December and February, and the olive como un herradero,… son algunas de las variety generally produced here is the picual, posibilidades de un servicio turístico en un which yields the characteristic olive oil of Jaén entorno natural privilegiado. with its strong fruity taste. During these Más al sur, y junto a los núcleos de pobla- months the whole of the region becomes a hive ción, encontramos un mar de olivos con of activity, while the aroma of crushed olives más de 8 millones de árboles, donde los wafts from a multitude of olive presses.