Vélez Rubio

Designated a natural park in 1987, the Sierra María-Los Vélez occupies the eastern end of the Cordillera Subbética in the north of Almeria province. It covers 22,670ha, a landscape of impressive contrasts, with its arid, moon-like plains overlooked by the Sierra's rocky summits, which are white with snow in winter, and the dry, barren south-facing slopes compared to its densely wooded north-facing ones.

The church is an important architectural example of the final evolution from Baroque to Neoclassical. The Baroque architectural elements predominate over other decorative details from later times.

The church can be considered the oldest building in the town, which was an important milestone within its heritage, at the same time that it was a great economic effort, since it was paid for by the Hermandad del Carmen (Brotherhood).

The civil building houses the Velezano Miguel Guirao Regional Museum and the Vélez Rubio Municipal Tourism Office. The building was built in 1765 and from the early years of the nineteenth century it was the subject of a hectic and eventful life, as it served successively as a center of occupation for French troops and a hospital for the poor in 1822.

The museum’s holdings are made up of a collection of several thousand pieces from various archaeological sites in the southeast and mainly from the Comarca de los Vélez and other materials of diverse origin such as lithic pieces from the Sahara and numerous objects of ethnological interest.

The Town Hall was built in 1732 and restored between 1991 and 1993, incorporating then Baroque elements on the façade and some later ones associated with modernist reforms carried out in 1909, with few original features. Located in Plaza de la Encarnación.

Formerly the home of the Administrador del Marqués, the building dates back to the eighteenth century and was refurbished as a church at the end of the nineteenth century.

An outstanding seventeenth century construction for the headquarters of a Community of Franciscans. It was the headquarters of the French in the War of Independence. After the monks were cloistered in 1835.

Previously the grain store of the Marquis, the building was later converted into a temple around 1888. At present it has been converted into a municipal exhibition hall and a multipurpose space. The church responds to the typical scheme of the Order of Carmelites.

Also known as, Torre Chacón, the medieval Islamic tower was built as a watchtower, perfectly situated high on a hill. Located 2km south of Vélez Rubio.

There are certain confusions whether this castle was linked to Vélez Blanco or Rubio, since the Arab authors cite only, Vélez. In the tenth century it was certainly inhabited and there are descriptions of it the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

The Tourist Office of Vélez Rubio is located in the Miguel Guirao Archaeological Museum, opening from Monday to Friday.

Festivals in Vélez Rubio: Cabalgata Reyes Magos, Carnaval, Día de andalucía, Día de San José, Entierro de la Sardina, Semana Santa, Fiestas del Carmen and Fiestas de Agosto.

The town’s current location dates from the late fifteenth century and is due to the abandonment of the old city located on a hill to the south called Castellón. Although no specific Upper Paleolithic sites have been found, the settlement of this area has been known since this time. From the Neolithic period there is the Cerro de Los López site, with the existence of cabins, pottery and tools.

The prehistoric cave paintings of the Cueva de los Letreros are spectacular, they can be found 3km out of the town of Velez Rubio. To get to the caves follow the A317 north until you reach a petrol station on the left, next to which is a signed turning to the cave.

The municipality of Vélez-Rubio is the capital of Los Vélez district, forming part of the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park. It has been declared an official Place of Cultural Interest due to its historical heritage and is a very popular destination for tourists.