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AZORLA cAnd Its Parador Mater Amantissima (Ever- Loving Mother) Of Rivers And Mountains Oh Guadalquivir! I saw you being born in Cazorla... A gurgle of clear water, Below a green pine tree, It was you; how beautifully you sounded Antonio Machado azorla is not meant to reveal the why C and the how, nor the where to and the where from of its ever coming and going people. What is clear is its rightful attri- bute, Mater Amantissima (ever-loving mother). But it is also known as Mater Intemerata (fearless mother): it turns out she is a goddess as generous as she is unbending… 2 Cazorla and almost all of its surrounding regions are as unu- sual as they are multi-faceted: their extremely peculiar customs, han- ded down from intricate ages past; their complex origins; their ancient traditions…along with their cuisine, art, and craftworks. And let’s not for- get their language and languages, at times deformed, but uniquely their own. Any visitor —even the least curious— will discover rather gratifying and unexpected surprises throughout the region and its overhanging moun- tain sierras: surprises in its art, its landscape; in its people, its cultures. Or even in its folklo- re and ancestral rituals. Cazorla is a must for any repentant or unrepentant traveler: he or she will never regret the trip. This is the will of its people, nestled in pine-treed valleys or peaks at cloud-level, whose haughty, overbearing and humble—but never humiliated—perspectives reveal the simple and austere customs of these beings and their dwellings. This is a mountain people, by choice and by imperious necessity. They are also lovers —by force— of their inhospitable landscape, as beautiful as it is, sometimes, treacherous. And sometimes inclement as well. This undaunted rocky massif lies steep above all the venial affairs of Jaén; it is a bountiful spring, where rivers and streams like the Guadalquivir or the Segura find their source. Its luscious, abundant, and vibrant pine tree forests have even christened it as the “Spanish Switzerland.” Thus, these lands have been and will always be frontier territory, isolated due to necessity. They live with and share their coplas and musical laments —rightful cries and claims as well, as this copla tells us: “…There are those who say Jaén is not my Andalusian land… Ay, my Jaén…” But the people of Jaén are neither snobby nor conceited; they are even less arrogant. This is what they are: these people know it—they simply claim to be what they are: haughty and proud olive growers. It is a concealed humbleness, however. 3 All too many of these areas hide within them rather unrivalled tre- asures, such as Linares, Úbeda, Baeza… These beautiful, though abrupt, peaks have given birth to solitary and noble rivers like the Guadalquivir, who ends up feeding and feeding on not- hing other than the Atlantic Ocean; and even its humblest rivers, who pour out into the Medi- terranean, do so just as proudly. At any rate, all water bodies ferti- lize vast territories, which, rather easily, have grown large pine woods, including spontaneously amazing fauna and flora. It landscape encompasses around seventy-six thousand hectares. In this generous environ- ment deer, fallow deer, mountain rams and sheep live peacefully together; mountain goats still survi- ve in the area as well. It is still possible to enjoy unique endemic flora, such as the so-called “Violet of Cazorla,” the “Aguileña,” or the “Grasilla.” The curious passerby will know how to find them and will disco- ver, perhaps, many more. The Cazorla, Segura, and Las Villas Natio- nal Parks beckon the traveler to come and discover its opulent surpri- ses and pleasant walkways. On account of the mountains sierras or the mere enjoyment of its nature, the traveler’s soul will be obliged to come back once more. Each season of the year reserves and offers indescribable and breathtaking beauty. Winter prepares the land for the sudden burst of colors which herald the long anticipated arrival of spring. Spring, in turn, gives way to all kinds of animal species, flowers, and fruits. In the summertime, then, fiestas, happiness, and lights come to life, alongside those eternal evenings and friendly nights. Autumn’s landscapes become enveloped in ocher, yellow, and brown sounds: the deer’s rutting season is dawning… It seems as though nature decided to bless the traveler so that he or she might admire this mountain massif, of complex and overw- helming terrain, with the luscious greenery of its vegetation. The intense green color is suddenly interrupted by the crags of the cal- careous rocks. These, in turn, contrast with the reddish rocky soil of the lowlands. This is indeed a tormented landscape, where the streams and river beds carve and hollow out the bedrocks and stones. 4 Waterfalls of incomparable beauty are born here, and once they have been tamed, they flow calmly through the gorges and canyons. These magic parks extend over a surface area greater than two thousand hectares. This mountainous region includes the Sierras of Cazorla, the Segura, and Las Villas; throughout this province the largest protected natural park of the Peninsula dominates over all beings and places. The park offers numerous mountain ranges: these regions give way to others such as the Sierra del Pozo, the Sierra del Castril, the Sierra de Cabrilla, the Almorchón and many others of enviable beauty. Others are born from the highest of Guadalquivires, its weather the designer of capricious and baroque land surfaces. The numerous rivers and streams of the area create a unique landscape, from their birth in Cañada de las Fuentes, and from the Segura River onwards. The curious traveler and explorer will have the privilege of seeing various animal species, such as boars, mountain goats, deer, fallow deer, civets, and others in their natural habitat. Along with the region’s historic and artistic heritage, its natural landscape’s treasures are a fundamental aspect. The Sierra Morena embodies the transition between the highlands of the Mancha region and Andalusia, and the hidden Sierra Magina, where the province’s highest peaks look over numerous and unexplored bends and twists. Anywhere here is a true delight and is highly gratifying. Along with all of these wonders, the mountainous region also has an excellent cultural heritage, especially the ethnological and the architectural. All of the area’s towns also display that unique Anda- lusian authenticity, such as Huelma and Belmes el de la Moradela. Along the same open pathway between the sierra of Campillo and the sierra La Cabrita lies the deep ravine formed by the Salado stream, which boasts of a spectacular viaduct, worthy of the Eiffel Tower’s own iron. On the same path the landscape becomes even more highlighted. We suddenly run into the great treasure of La Magina, with its awesome Albu- querques family castle and the glo- rious church of the Immaculate. In these surroundings, human settlements are The Beginning Of Time O nce again, in the words of Antonio Machado: “Place a coalminer, a sage, and a poet out on the fields… You shall see how the poet admires and hushes, how the sage looks and thinks… Surely the coalminer will look for blackbe- rries or mushrooms. Take them to the theater, and only the coalmi- ner will not yawn. Whoever prefers that which is live to that which is painted. Is he who thinks, sings, or dreams. The coalminer’s mind is filled with imagination.” This whole province is the daughter and niece of the mountain ranges within the Sierra Morena system. Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, and other invaders—some of them rather benevolent—have all flowed through these valleys. This area has witnessed a mixture of religions, cultures, customs, and beneficial crops, especially han- ded down by the Arabs. The latter perfected water irrigation systems, while the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religions intermingled. The Muslims made a pact with the Christians—they decided it was best to share knowledge, art, craftsmanship, and customs. These ‘invaders’ taught our Peninsula arts and customs which developed into the mudéjar style. They gave us mos- ques, fortresses, water- mills, windmills, irriga- tion canals… The city of Jaén shows us the powerful legacy that Arabic culture left for posterity. For example, one may still visit the Arab baths, as well as other later histori- cal milestones, along with unique battle sites, such as the Las Navas de Tolosa. Legendary chroni- cles say that in this 6 battle the famous Miramamolín was defeated, becoming a symbol of the Chris- tian conquest of Andalucía. The town of Bailén also was a great military victory for the Spanish troops, directed by General Castaños, fighting against Napoleonic Dupont troops at the begin- ning of the War of Independence. On Avenida de la Estación (Station Avenue), we may still find the Provincial Museum, located in a wonderful building from 1914, with a Renaissance-style façade, added later to the older Municipal Deposit. The Provincial Museum withholds impor- tant funds from the older museums of Archaeology and Fine Arts, both now inexistent. A collection of Iberian, Greek, Roman, and Arab ceramic pieces are of special interest, all of them being from the area. We may also admire the cave paintings in the Cave of the Granja de Jimena, the Iberian Lions of Alvarsanchez de Úbeda de Torres, and in the Rece- na or Requena patio-house, the so-called Goddess of Espona. Cazorla is a pretty town with narrow streets, on a slope under the shade of the Peña de los Halcones. The town was born in the 16th century b.

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