As the name indicates, this town was grassland for horse and cattle destined for the Spanish market during the 16th and 17th centuries. The most fascinating characteristic of the town is that almost 70% of its inhabitants live in cave or hybrid houses where part of the building is within a cave and therefore maintains a constant temperature of 20 degrees.
Valle del Zalabí was formed in 1973 by the merger of Alcudia de Guadix, Exfiliana and Charches; this village is located near the coast of Almería and has several tourist accommodation in caves.
The most interesting thing about the village of Purullena is the extensive neighbourhood of cave dwellings..
Polícar is a village in Granada province reminiscent of the times under Muslim occupation, with narrow streets and unusual architecture.
This village was founded in the Middle Ages from a farmstead created by the Moorish era. There are also vestiges of millenary civilisations in Marchal, as can be seen in its archaeological sites.
Lugros is a mountainous municipality in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. this makes it an interesting place for visitors who will see totally different landscapes if they visit in summer and winter.
Lanteira is a village in Granada province most famous for its representations of The Passion of the Christ every Easter Sunday which attract numerous tourists.
La Peza is a village in Granada province. Tourists will enjoy a walk through the village centre whilst admiring the various chapels and fountains, the parish church and the Arab baths.
Jerez del Marquesado is one of the highest municipalities of the entire Iberian Peninsula, a geographical feature that has converted it into the perfect place for civilisation settlements. In fact, there are even remains of the Neolithic Era, the Roman Period and, above all, Moorish. Its Arab influence can be seen nowadays in its streets, narrow and meandering, and in its balconies and squares, white and full of plant pots.
Hueneja, nestled in the Granada mountains, conserves one of the largest and most important Arab baths of all the region, which are soon to be declared of Cultural Interest. Hueneja is a small village that has managed to keep the layout of the streets built during the Moorish times virtually intact. Many are the remains found from this period, but the real origin of this village lies in the Prehistory.
Gor is found to conserve the oldest bullfighting tradition of the entire country, as per the documentation consulted, and the encierros (bull running through the streets of the village) and the novilladas (bullfights with young bulls) are very well known and followed here. What is still unknown is the meaning and origin of its name, even though there are archaeological remains that place the creation of this town in the Neanderthal Era.
Time has wanted Fonelas to be known for some of the most valuable archaeological remains of the entire peninsula: about 70 dolmens scattered around in different groups, the archaeological sites of Cerro Gallos and Solana del Zamborino and many fossil mammals dating back to over a million years. The origin of Fonelas can clearly be found in the Prehistoric age, although most remains date back to the Bronze Age.
Ferreira, a quaint little village in the Granada province, was named after the “iron” mineral, which is very abundant here. One of the most important archaeological sites in the area has been found in Ferreira and include the remains of burials and urns dated back to the prehistoric era. The history and civilisations that have left their seal in Ferreira do not go unnoticed, because you find true historical and natural value in every corner.
The name of this municipality has little to do with the American currency, as Dolar is a typical, unspoilt mountain village. It is located at the foot of Sierra Nevada, among pines and chestnuts. In fact, it is part of the Natural Park of the same name. The houses in Dolar are nestled at the whims of its geography, surrounding the peak.
There are several versions about where the name of this village comes from. One was the money that was used to pay the Church for agricultural purposes and the other related to the units of ownership I the Roman times. The history of Diezma dates back somewhat, as it used to belong to the Moors, who called it Dexme –a Visigoth place name-.
Cortes y Graena is a quaint municipality formed by the villages of Cortes, Graena, Lopera and Los Baños. This area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, but the cave houses are the legacy of the Arab Andalusian period. Without a doubt, what stands out most in this village is the quality of its thermal waters, awarded in the Universal Exhibition of Paris back in 1900.
Cogollos de Guadix is a small village with wide streets and three large squares bordering on the Sierra Nevada National Park, a true delight for the visitors, with breath-taking views of the Marquesado del Cenere and a large part of the Hoya de Guadix. The main monument in Cogollos de Guadix is the Church, the Iglesia de la Anunciacion, declared a place of cultural interest.
Legend has it that San Torcauto was made martyr in Benalúa de Guadix and buried where we now find a small chapel in his honour. Banalúa de Guadix has been built on a clay land that has made it easy to carve out the surprising cave-houses, typical of the area. Do not miss the cave-houses. Some have even been converted into tourist accommodation, which make it super easy to live the experience first hand.
Beas de Guadix, which used to be a prison for the Christian soldiers of the Muslim times, is located in the Sierra Nevada National Park, surrounded by badlands, peculiar forms of the clay land thanks to the action of the water, and large pine forests. As the old Roman Road that linked Guadix with Granada used to pass through Beas de Guadix, today, we can still see archaeological ruins of some of the villages of this period.
Alquife has historically been a mining village producing up to 40% of the iron extracted in Spain. Although closed today due to the crisis of the beginning of the past century, these mines had been in operation since the time of the Roman Empire. Alquife has a monument dedicated to the miners that reminds everyone of the true essence of the village.
