Washington Irvingand his itinerary through Granada

Routes of The legacy of al-Andalus

Major Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

eeing the walled towns and villages in the wild passes of these mountains,built like eagles’ nests between crags and surrounded by Moorish battlements,or ruined watchtowers sitting on high peaks, brings to mind the chivalrous timesof war between Moors and Christians and the romantic struggle to conquerGranada.

Thus wrote Washington Irving about this Route in his journey through thelands of Granada. The prototype of the pure Romantic traveller, who passed mostof his life travelling round Europe, and, attracted by the “exoticism” which thecountry then offered, naturally landed up in Spain. He was appointed Ambassadorof the United States of America here, between 1842 and 1846. Of Scottish origins,Washington Irving undertook a journey beween the cities of Seville and Granadain 1829, identical to the one you could take. Fascinated by the richness of the Arabcivilization in Spain, he wrote two books on the subject. The first was the “Historyof the Conquest of Granada” and three years later, “The Tales of the Alhambra”,where he narrates various legends about Granada, concerning Boabdil, an Arabastrologer and the Torre de las Infantas(The Princesses’ Tower), amongothers.

A camino real or mainroad, which acted as a tradelink between the kingdoms ofGranada and Castile, wasestablished for the first time,following the Treaty of 1244, which enabledthe Nasrids to benefit from certain subsistence products in Christianterritory, in times of peace. A Route, therefore, of a pure frontier nature.

Irving’s trip has the extraordinary prologue of being a journey suggested asa tribute to the poet-king al-Mutamid, an itinerary which departs from Seville andcrosses the province, dotted with towns and villages that had previouslybelonged to different coras and iqlim, or Arab districts. From the 12th century,food products and livestock, people and ideas, spices, dyes, herbal medicines,grain, fruit, cloth, wool and above all silk, among other crafted products began toarrive in Granada, fiercely protected by a chain of forts.

The wealth and variety of the places along this trip to Granada, offer a greatselection of different things that will interest the traveller, such as the cuisine(based on the agricultural wealth of its orchards and fields, developed in theperiod of al-Andalus), the crafts (rich and varied and the legacy of strong activityby the different guilds in the Middle Ages), shopping, the fiestas (which portraysome of the most genuine facets of Andalusian traditions and will fascinate theromantic, for their authenticity and picturesqueness), the enjoyment of thecountryside and flamenco song. Loja, Montefrío…, have astonishing culturalwealth and owe much of this to the presence of the Moors.

Víctor Hugo (1802-1885) describes his arrival in Granada exquisitely:

“Be it near or far/ Spanish or Saracen / there is not a single city / whichwould dare to compete / with Granada, the beautiful, / for the prize of mostbeauty, / nor any which unfurls / with more grace and gaiety / nor more Orientalsparkle / below a clear sky”.

Natural open spaces of the first order are in abundance, like the nearbyTorcal of Antequera; without doubt, one of the most spectacular in Andalusia.The erosion by water and wind and the passage of time, have carved whimsicalforms in the rock, unbelievably counterpoised formations in stone, turbans orcarnivalesque heads of limestone, in the unreal light at dusk. The Salt Lagoon ofFuente Piedra, the Laguna de la Ratosa, the Sierra de Loja and el Desfiladero delos Infiernos, which so impressed Irving, following the description which thelandlady of a tavern gave him of the Infiernos, over his dessert, betweenromances of brigands, stories of highwaymen and Morisco legends. We shouldalso not forget the highest peak of the Iberian Peninsula, located in the SierraNevada, the Mulhacén, which owes its name to the last Nasrid king of Granada,Muley Hacen.

From the historical pointof view, the towns

that exist along thisroad reflect splendidtraits of all the

civilizations in thehistory of Andalusia.

Also the prehistoric ones,like the so-called Peña de

los Gitanos, near Montefrío,where there are dolmens and

Megalithic tombs. History, Art, Nature andalso Literature; it isn’t surprising that this Route has been blessed with anexceptional godfather like Washington Irving. These lands inspired his mind andhis pen, like those of many others. The border zones were the breeding ground ofmany conquest romances, or impossible love affairs between enemies, into whichthe Writer began to delve. This type of research of popular myths would, ahundred years on, inspire a son of these lands, Federico García Lorca.

Emilio García Gómez compared the Route of Washington Irving, starting inthe low Andalusia of Frasquita Larrea and rising to the heights of the Seville ofFernán Caballero, to the “French Way” (camino francés) , which ends up in San-tiago de Compostela, like that other Andaluz, in the Alhambra of Muhammad V.The northern route was trod year after year by pilgrims; the southern one waslaced with multiple shortcuts and diversions but Irving found them, because hewasn’t hunting for architecture but rather, literature.

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“It is rustic and picturesqueand is situated in the fold of anarid mountainside. The ruins ofa Moorish alcázar crown a rockycrag that sprouts up in the middle of the town. The RiverGenil bathes the town’s feet…”

It is undesrtood that Loja, for theCatholic Monarchs, was the “gate andkey to the kingdom of Granada”. It isseated between two sierras, in the ex-treme west of the Vega of Granada,where the River Genil cuts out a gorge inthe last foothills of the Subbaetic moun-tain range, forming a pass, the Des-filadero de los Infiernos, before flowinginto the Iznájar reservoir. The waterwhich filters through the Sierra de Loja,at the fringe of the Genil’s course, givesrise to constantly fresh springs, whichflow into ancient fountains. The appearance of this strategic town

(not just in the military sense, as it has alsoalways been a market town), with itsMoorish alcazaba (citadel) set on a rockyknoll and framed by Christian belfries, stillcreates a great surprise to the traveller.According to myth, it was founded byNoah’s grandson, Tubal, and given thename Alfeia. What is certain, is that thePhoenicians, who called it Tricolia, broughtit commercial prosperity around the 8th c.BC. The Romans under Scipio Cneochanged its name of Tricolia to that of Las-civis (place of abundant and delicious wa-ters); and the Arabs changed this to Medi-na Lawsa. It was precisely the Muslimswho gave it a true urban appearance. Itoccupied an important place in the civilwars during the Caliphate of Cordova andlater acquired a markedly military charac-ter, in order to protect the Vega, the ante-room to the Nasrid kingdom.Ferdinand the Catholic laid siege to it in

1482, but in vain. Besieged

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Loja

☛A general view with theEncarnación Church and theAlcazaba in the background

again in 1486, he finally succeededin capturing it; an event whichcaused a great psychologicalecho in the advance of theConquest. More than 5,000Muslims left the town andmoved to Granada. The fallof this town and all therest of the Nasrid kingdomwas at hand and the anony-mous writers of romancesjumped at it jubilantly.The Alcazaba, the military andadministrative centre of the Mediae-val town, has had its ruinous aspectsince the times of Phillip II. A good partof the Mediaeval wall is still there, theOchavada Tower, a very well preservedcistern and remains of the central build-ing. It is difficult to imagine what it musthave looked like at the time when it wasconsidered practically inaccessible.Sheltering this crumbling edifice, is thetower of Santa María de la Encarnación,built over the Mediaeval mosque, whichis part Gothic-Mudéjar, part Baroque andpart Neo-Classic; the latter built by Ven-tura Rodríguez. The Church of SanGabriel, one of the finest examples ofGranada Renaissance, is the work ofDiego de Siloé; and the Church of SantaCatalina, of the 16th and 17th centuries.The Convent of Santa Clara, should bementioned and various hermitages. Also,the big rambling House of the Alcaides

Cristianos (Christian Governors),dating from the 17th c. and

alongside the Alcazaba,which reinforces and high-lights its appearance.Furthermore, the 16th c.Pósito Nuevo (commualgranary), the AntiguaCasa de Cabildos and the

Palacio de Narváez , a 19th c. French looking

construction, as well as theNarváez gardens , a rural

cortijo, with Isabelline furnish-ings, at the spot called de Plines. Loja, which al-Idrisi already confirmed asan important hub of comunications, hasmanaged to preserve and look after a greatmany of its traditions. The cuisine is an ex-ample: sobreusa de habas (broad beans),

remojón de naranja (marinated orange),porra, gazpacho and the famous roscosand huesos de santo (Saints bones). Anoth-er example is the variety of song, like thefandango lojeño, or el trovo (A popular flamenco competition exists, called “laVolaera”). 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 ofspecial importance and particularly innearby Riofrío, coupled with the recentcommercialization of sturgeon and itscaviar, and the traditional homemadeconfectionery.

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The Interior of the Iglesia MayorThe Fountain with twenty-five spouts

The los Infiernos WaterfallThe Incensiarios (incense burners) in Holy Week

☛The Belfry of San GabrielThe Encarnación ChurchThe San Gabriel Church

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The road becomes smootherupon leaving behind the nar-row passes of Loja and spreadsout in the fertile valley of theRiver Genil. The whitewashedvillage of Huétor Tájar glim-mers between the verdancy oftrees, orchards and fields.

The town was formed by the fusion of twohamlets but that did not come to pass till1483, precisely in the same year when itwas devastated once again by King Ferdi-nand in his conquest skirmishes. Bothhamlets have ancient origins: Huétor isthe corruption of a Roman name and Tá-jar of an Arabic one; Ibn al-Jatib named itTarayat, and thus Taxara, Táhara, Tájar.Finally conquered in 1497, the Moriscoinhabitants continued living there andhave, as an inheritance, a Moorish tower,which is now rather suffocated by thetown, and a magnificent irrigation sys-

tem in the Vega.Where white mul-berries and silkwere previously cul-tivated, to-day, aboveall , asparagus isgrown. The local asparagus,of a very high quality, is theundisputable protagonist inthe cuisine of Huétor Tájar and is pre-pared in a thousand ways, in tortillas,soups and sauces... If one wishes tocome in more direct contract with thisvegetable, it only suffices to go into oneof the cooperatives which produce it. The parish church of Santa Isabel issituated in the Plaza del Ayuntamientoand has a beautiful brick belfry. It isworth taking a walk along the banks of the Genil in the direction of theEsperanza quarter, along pathsbetween fields and orchards, refreshedby the sound of the river and irrigationchannels.

Huétor Tájar

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☛The Parish Church of Santa Isabel

In his guide book, RichardFord notes that, followingLoja, “passing though a rangeof mountains, we arrived at the Venta de Cacín, andthen, like a promised land, the famous Vega de Granadaopened up before us”.

This section of the Route continuesparallel to the Genil, which is joined bythe waters of the River Cacín. The roadnow transits Moraleda de Zafayona, anold rural village set in the steps of theplateau that rises towards Alhama. Thisis the limit beween the territory of Lojaand Granada, in the Campo de Zafayona,or Campo de las Fuentes, from theArabic Fa al-uyun, through which one ofthe principal roads linking Málaga withthe Nasrid capital passed.

An area of cultivated fields in the valleyand of livestock grazing in thehighlands, during the Moorish period itwas inhabited by Arab clans, as alsowere the surrounding areas, living inscattered settlements. In the wake ofthe conquest and the resettlement, thisgave rise to cortijos like those of Luján,la Duquesa, or la Venta de Cacín. By the19th century the site already countedwith a nucleus of inhabitants, the originof the actual population, made up of “80caves which serve as lodgings for thevillagers, and a few houses constructedat their base”.The slim tower of the Parish Churchmarks the centre of the town, which isbuilt on a slope, running down to thebanks of the River Cacín. An ancientIbero-Roman settlement has beenlocated in the nearby Cerro de la Mora.Its excavation has revealed an amplecultural sequence, which covers theperiod from the second Millennium

before Christ up till the Middle Ages.A local curiosity worth mention, isthe Vintage Car Museum.

Moraleda de Zafayona

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☛The Parish Church

“We left Vélez for Alhammah,or the Hot Springs, orAlhama, a small town, with avery well constructed andplaced mosque. It has a hotspring on the banks of itsriver about a mile distantfrom the town. There is ahouse pertaining to the men’sbaths and another for thoseof the women”.

Alhama hangs on the edge of an impos-ing ravine. Its origins are lost in thedepths of time. First Iberian, thenPhoenician and later Carthaginian, it absorbed all the cultures of theMediterranean. Pliny called it Plinio Sticiand the Romans Artigi, but it was theArabs who gave it its actualname, al-hammam, hot-springs, or the Baths.

It was fought over by Moors andChristians and it was the troops of theCatholic Monarchs who, in an audaciousmove, captured it from the Muslims in1482. Chroniclers of the time relate that“800 Moors died and 3,000 were takenprisoner, leaving a rich bounty of goldand silver and pearls, silks, jewellery,horses and mules, and an infiniteamount of wheat and barley”.The watchtower called the Torresolanais a hangover from those glorioustimes, as is the communal granary, thePósito, which is to found in the Plazade Los Presos. To-day it is one of themost important buildings relating tomediaeval Alhama. It was, furthermore,a synagogue in the 13th c. and becamethe town’s communal granary in the16th c.However, as its name indicates, wherethe most Moorish stamp survives is in

Alhama de Granada

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☛The Iglesia delCarmen, a formerCarmelite convent

the Arab quarter, a condensed exampleof Spanish-Muslim architecture.Behind the principal church, stands a15th century building in Flemish-Gothicstyle, which is known as the Casa de laInquisición, and which has an impres-sive hewn stone façade, embellished byan artistic geminate window.The Prison and the Hospital de la Reinaare other public buildings to be foundin the environs of the samesquare. An inscription, datingfrom 1674, on the façade ofthe prison reminds us thatit was built in the reign ofCarlos II. Mudejar, Gothicand Renaissance influ-ences are the architectur-al mixture of the hospital,initiated in 1485 and found-ed by the Catholic Monarchs,as the first field hospital in thekingdom of Granada.The Iglesia del Carmen forms part of a former Carmelite convent and its architecture covers ManneristClassicism to elaborate Baroque. Thechurch is built on a rectangular base,with a carved wooden ceiling and sidechapels. Its façade displays the coats ofarms of the Alhama nobility and thecupola over the transept is decoratedwith frescoes. The alcove of the Virgin,behind the High Altar, and the Chapel ofJesús Nazareno, which are typicalexamples of the ChurrigueresqueBaroque of Granada of the 18th century,are of particular interest.The imposing tower of the Iglesia Mayorde Santa María de la Encarnación,probably built over the main mosque, is apoint of visual reference in Alhama. Begunat the end of the 15th and beginning of

the 16th centuries, its basic structure isGothic, with a single nave of largeproportions, below ribbed star-shapedvaults and with powerful buttresses onthe outside. Renaissance elements werelater added to the Gothic fabric, like theChoir and the upper sections of the tower,and the Renaissance detail on thesouthern façade, which substituted theoriginal Gothic. The local spa is of great interest. Itappears at the end of a picturesquegorge, surrounded by a landscape ofcliffs, water and exhuberant vegetation.The use of the thermal waters,recommended for traumatologicalconditions (rheumatism, arthrosis,arthritis) and respertory ones, goes

back to Roman times. In the 12thcentury, the Moors built the

magnificent baths one seesto-day over the Roman ones,which have a beautifulcentral room, withhorseshoe arches andcloistered vaults, wherethe spring sprouts forth.

Alhama cuisine offers theexceptional quality of the

products of the area, above allchickpeas and the pork products.

The ‘olla jameña’ is a special oneamong the local thicks soups, stews andother dishes. Confectionery is alsonotable, especially that of the PoorClares of San Diego.

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A typical street, with the Main Churchof Santa María de la Encarnación in the background

☛Interior of the Baths of Alhama

The Casa de la InquisiciónConfectionery made by the Nuns

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The visual strength and theenormous geographical andarchitectural impact of Mon-tefrío captivates the new ar-rival from his first glimpse ofit. The centre of the town cre-ates a white band between therock supporting the town’schurch and the hillside calledthe Cerro del Calvario.

The road moves northwards and beginsto rise. All of a sudden, almost like amenace, Montefrío appears, perched uphigh on a geological wave, that looks asif it were about to capsize: withoutdoubt, one of the most picturesquescenes in the province of Granada.It was already wealthy in ancient times.The Mons Frigus of the Romans, Montefridof the Arabs, must have bordered a com-mercial route that ran from Torre del Marand Vélez-Málaga, passing Alhama and

this place, towards the cultivated plainsand the valley of the Guadalquivir. TheNasrid king, Ismail III, was crowned hereby the Abencerrages, and they remainedhere seven years in fear of returning tothe Court at Granada, where Mohammed X(1445-1453) reigned. King Juan II helped Is-mail and the Abencerrages to lay seige toGranada. The astute Mohammed invitedthe latter to send an embassy and hadthem all decapitated in what is to-daycalled the Hall of Abencerrages in the Al-hambra. Ismail fled to the Alpujarras,where he would later on be claimed Kingof Granada, with the name of Yusuf V.Montefrío would be taken by the CatholicMonarchs in 1486. The Arab fortress,which consists of a castle and its ram-parts was built upon former Roman re-mains. Some towers of the ramparts,traces of the original wall, the cistern andvarious remains of mid-14th century con-structions, still stand. The Iglesia de la Vil-la is the moststriking old

Montefrío

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

building in Montefrío, due to its locationat the tip of the rock. It is Gothic-Renais-sance in style and was built upon an oldmosque between 1549 and 1570. It is at-tributed to Diego de Siloé, assisted byFrancisco Hernández. One of the Mon-archs’ heralds donated the 16th c. hospi-tal of San Juan de los Reyes. The impos-ing Church of San Antonio was built out-side the town. It is popularly called “laPanera”, as it occupies what was theflour mill of an old Franciscanconvent. Located on the Cerrodel Calvario, it has a Baroquefaçade and a hewn stone al-tarpiece, with an amplenave and vault. The TownHall is installed in a fine oldhouse dating from1787 andthe Pósito, a granary built in1795 is in Neo-Classical style.The Encarnación church is inthe same style; a solid, originaland voluminous square Ashlar build-ing, popularly known as the “la rotonda”(Rotunda), it is a very important exampleof Andalusian Neo-classicism, and isamong one of the best projects left byVentura Rodríguez in the province ofGranada. The Virgen de los Remedios, thepatron saint, is venerated in this church..The houses seem encrusted in the rock,at the foot of the castle’s mirador, andcontinue down the street called San Se-bastián, as far as the Plaza de España,which is the town centre with the Ayun-tamiento, the Casa de Oficios, a harmo-nious building dating from 1579, and theEncarnación church. From here, longwinding streets lead to the hill at the oth-er end of the village where the church ofSan Antonio and the sobre neo-classicalgranary, el Pósito, are to be found.

The mountainous surroundings are idealfor walks, bike and horse riding, mountainclimbing etc. Interesting places includethe Roman bridge, which is still in use,about 1.5 km. in the direction of Algarine-jo, and at around 5 km. in the direction ofÍllora, La Peña de los Gitanos, an exten-sive area of terraces between limestonerocks, where more than a hundred Maga-lithic graves and settlements have been

excavated; an extraordinary archae-ological complex.

Olive oil, cuisine. The climate,soil and varieties of cultivat-ed olive, contribute to theexceptional quality of theextra virgin olive oils fromMontefrío, whose olivegroves constitute the princi-

pal agricultural activity. Thevarieties are predominantly

Picual, Picuda and Hojiblanca,together with some local ones.

Apart from the olive oils and thecheeses, the local fare includes a deli-cious repertoire of local recipés withdishes like el choto (kid) con ajos, el rel-leno de carnaval, sesos (brains) al moje-teo, thick soups, tortillas de papas, as-paragus and collejas, and roasted dishes,not forgetting game specialities, thecharcuterie and the confectionery, in-cluding bollos de manteca, aceite conpasas, roscos de sartén, borrachuelos,cuajaos and pestiños.

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The Encarnación churchThe La Peña de los Gitanos dolmen

The Church of San AntonioExtra virgin olive oil from Montefrío

☛A general view of Montefrío☛

“The Apple of Granada’s eye”.This is what this privilegedfortress, seated on the skirtof the Sierra de Parapanda andoverlooking the Vega, wascalled. Pliny mentions it asIlurco; but it was the Suevians,the Visigoths and the Arabs,and especially the Nasrids,who built this powerfulfortress, around which thetown came into being.

The journey continues through the West-ern Mountains, following the hills of theSierra de Parapanda, until it reaches Íllo-ra, seated in their lap. A multicoloured

landscape of olive groves spreads outbefore the traveller’s eyes, together withfarmlands and orchards, which run downthe slopes of the Vega del Genil. In thedistance, to the East, the Sierra Nevada. The whitewashed buildings of Íllora clingto the rocky hillside. There have beenmany prehistoric finds in the areasaround Íllora and in the town itself,Roman baths have been found, whichprove the existence of a town prior to itsconsolidation under the Moorishdomination. Information goes back tothe 10th and 11th centuries, when al-Udrirefers to it under the name of Illywra, inhis reference to the province of Elvira.Situated near various passes in thenorth of the Vega, from the 13th c.onwards it became one of the chiefstrongholds of the Nasrid frontier; and

then in the frontline, following the fallof Alcalá la Real in 1341.

Íllora

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☛A general view with the

Encarnación church and the hillwith the remains of the castle.

Illywra, at that time underwent a trans-formation into a fortified town with acastle, walled precinct and suburbs andwas given the nickname, “Granada’s righteye”, resulting from its importance as adefensive vantage point. The protagonistof incessant feats of arms, it was finallyconquered by the Catholic Monarchs inthe spring of 1486. At the time of the Con-quest, the chronicler Hernando del Pul-gar described it in the following words:“This town is placed in a valley, wherethere is a very extensive fertile plain, andin that valley there is high rock whichdominates the whole surroundings; andon the very top of that rock, there is atown, with strong towers and walls…”.

After laying siege and attacking thesuburbs, the shot from the eighteen

Lombard canons forced theMuslim capitulation and the

exodus of the population toGranada. Its first Christiangovernor was GonzaloFernández de Córdoba, theGran Capitán, the remainsof whose mansion still exist,

with his coat of arms on thefaçade. In its new phase, Íllora

was one of the Seven Towns,which acted as granary and larder

to the capital. Bit by bit, as the upperpart of the town became depopulated,the actual town grew at its feet, aroundthe square and the church.The fortifications of the mediaeval town,the castle and the walls, are situated onthe top of a rocky hill in the middle of thetown. The construction is basically Moor-ish with elements of the Caliphate andTaifa periods, of the 10th and 11th cen-turies. The Nasrids gave it its final appear-ance, following the reforms undertaken inthe 14th c. At the summit, the castle tow-ers can be distinguished, the “oldwoman’s teeth”, and further down, thevestiges of another two walled precincts,which protected the area around the siteof the former Grand Mosque and whichare now no longer inhabited. The Encarnación church is a splendid ex-ample of architecture in transition fromGothic to Renaissance, which predomi-nated in most of the churches built afterthe Christian conquest in the area of LosMontes. Designed by Diego de Siloé, withthe help of his disciple Juan de Maedaand other master builders, the basic con-struction was undertaken between 1542and 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 inRenaissance proportions, with a solidbelfry and elegant porticoes, with classi-cist sculpturing by Diego de Pesquera. Inthe interior, the nave is of ample propor-tions with ribbed vaults, embeddedcolumns and side chapels, where two

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praiseworthy Baroque altarpieces are tobe found, together with paintings -likethe Virgen con el Niño, similar to AlonsoCano in style-, images and gold and sil-ver objects, aswell as a few articles andrelics of the cult of San Rogelio, PatronSaint of the town.The Plaza de San Rogelio is the tradition-al meeting point in Íllora, with the enor-mous parish church, dominating thetown centre and the old Town Hall, nowconverted into the local History Museum.Behind it, the rocky hill rises straight outof the town, with the ruins of thewalls and the castle above. En-tering through the calle Al-menillas, one comes acrossone of the oldest gates ofthe fortress, dating fromthe 10th c. The streetscalled Real, la Cárcel,and the Cuesta del PilarAlto, are the main thor-oughfares of the town,where there are a numberof fine old mansions andthe new Town Hall, in the for-mer Franciscan convent of theOrder of San Pedro Alcántara. There are some very interesting places inthe surrounding countryside. One canstill see the remains of the La Mesawatchtower, on the way to Alcalá la Real,and of the Tocón and La Encantada tow-

ers, in Brácana. All along the road toMontefrío, which goes up through thesierras of Parapanda and Pelada, thereare wonderful panoramic views. The

Sierra de Parapanda reaches an alti-tude of 1,604 metres and occu-

pies an important position inthe life of the people of the

plains, who consider ittheir barometer and re-call the saying, “WhenParapanda wears a cap,there’ll be rain, even ifGod doesn’t want it”.Worth a special mention

is the place called Molinodel Rey, in the area of Soto

de Roma, with a spectacularearly 19th c. aqueduct and the

hamlet of Alomartes, with its 18th c.neo-classical church, the Molino de laTorre, an example of one of the best pre-served traditional watermills. It is worthstopping awhile to enjoy a rest and listento the murmur of the rushing waters.

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The porticoed façade of the Molino de la TorreThe tower of the Encarnación church☛

A typical streetA portico with sculptured relief

The Encarnación church☛

“In this village, I had my firstdream of distant places. Inthis village, I will be the earthand the flowers”. FedericoGarcía Lorca was born on the5th of June 1898 in house ofthe village teacher, DoñaVicenta Lorca, his mother.

These lands formed part of the Sitio Real;a property of 1,500 hectares, with thickwoods and planted land, where a CasaReal (Royal House) was built. In 1813 Sotode Roma was ceded to the Duke ofWellington, in recognition of servicesrendered during the War of Independence. The Plaza del Ayuntamiento is thetowncentre, from which the mainstreets of the village radiate. TheAvenida de Andalucía goeseastwards, the Avenida delGenil runs down to the river,Paseo del Prado, with its

monument toGarcía Lorca byCayetano Aníbal,is prolonged bythe Paseo de la Reina and runs north-wards. At this point, there is an obligatorystop. Every traveller along this routeshould make a point of visiting the Casa-Museo de Federico García Lorca. Re-stored tastefully and skilfully, the groundfloor rooms reflect the period of hisyouth in both decoration and furnishings,whereas the first floor, which was once agranary, is arranged as a space for exhibi-tions and cultural events. The surround-ings of the town are dotted with cortijos,the dependencies of la Paz, with is simplehermitage, and Pedro Ruiz, and also invitethe traveller to take a stroll through thecountryside, between shady poplargroves and green pastures, lulled by the

sound of the eternal flow of theirrigation channels.

Fuente Vaqueros

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☛The Patio and façade of FedericoGarcía Lorca’s birthplaceThe Iglesia de la Paz

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The Parish Church

Ibn al-Jatib of Loja mentionsthis place in the 14th c., knownthen as Yay’yana. Betterdocumented is the fortressthat stood in this area, theTorre de Roma, in which thepopulace must have takenrefuge during the enormousupheavals at the end of theMiddle Ages.

Chauchina’s link with its fertile surround-ings in the middle of the Vega of the Ge-nil, is such that there are those whoclaim that its origins stem from the Latinword sancius, a corruption of salix, orwillow, given the abundance of thesetrees along the riverbanks. Whatever theanswer, proof has been found of the exis-tence of human settlement here, fromthe Neolithic to the Iberian eras, thanksto the discovery of pottery, utensils andcoins. Settlement was consolidated how-ever, during the Muslim era. The legendary Torre de Roma, which lent its name to Soto

de Roma - an orchard,which in the words of Washington Irving, “was aretreat founded byCount Julian to consolehis daughter, Florinda”-experienced variousfeats of arms. The centre of the town lies between thePlaza del Ayuntamiento and the ParishChurch, a building that was begun at theend of the15th c. and very much alteredin later periods, although it still con-serves the original belfry. Beside it, one’sattention is caught by the “La Peana”, apiece of a column that had been extract-ed from the Loja quarries and which wasdestined for the construction of CharlesV’s palace in the Alhambra. The Torre deRoma is of particular historical interestand served as a Nasrid defensive bastionin the 15th century.

Chauchina

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The town, which was foundedin 1491, served as a headquar-ters for the Cathoic Monarchs,during the seige of Granada. Itwas designed on straightlines, rectangular in shape andwith a gate at each end.

Santa Fe served as the exclusive seat ofthe Catholic Court, duplicating this rolewith Granada, until the departure of theKing and Queen in May of that year, thusconverting itself into a privileged his-torical place for several months. The ca-pitulation was signed on the 25th of No-vember 1491, in the town’s modest CasaReal (Royal House), between the king,Boabdil, and Isabella and Ferdinand, in

which the handing over of

the Nasrid kingdom was agreed and thefuture of its inhabitants decided. Like-wise, the decisive conversations withChristopher Columbus took place in thisbuilding, leading to contracts with theadmiral, which were signed “in SanctaFee on the Seventeenth of April of theyear Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-two”,a milestone which would lead to the dis-covery of America and a new era,marked by the opening up of relationsthere. Upon the departure of the Kingand Queen, Don Francisco de Bobadillawas appointed governor and the townentered on a peaceful existence, im-mersed in the agricultural activitiescommon to all towns in the Vega, withthe exception of a violent earthquake in1806, which caused serious damage .The town centre of Santa Fe is worth

visiting, as it corre-sponds to the original

town built in 1491. Theconstruction of the

town from scratch,

Santa Fe

☛The Parish Church

of the Encarnación

at the orders of theCatholic Mon-

archs, was en-trusted to thecities of Seville,Jerez, Cordovaand Andújar,

each one respon-sible for the build-

ing of one of the fourquarters into which it was divided. Theplan was based on the fortified modelof Briviesca, rectangular in shape, withstraight streets crossing each other atright angles, surrounded by a moat,walls, towers and defensive ramparts.The chronicles say that it was complet-ed in eighty days. The public buildingswere constructed in the centre of thissquare, the Casa Real, the Parish Churchand nearby, an hospital, the corn ex-change and others. To-day, on one sideof the Plaza de España, the parishpriest’s house stands on the site of theCasa Real, which it substituted in the18th century. The communal granarystands opposite and was built by CarlosIII. The Town Hall stands on the easternside of the plaza and was built in 1923 in a Neo-Mudejar style, with a brickfaçade and with emblems of the Span-ish-American countries in ceramics.The two central cross-streets of thehistorical sector, terminate in four largegates. These are the Gates of Granada,to the East, Seville, to the South, Jaén, tothe North and Loja, to the West. The LojaGate was built in 1652, whereas theothers are all 18th century, each with achapel over the archway.

The Parish Church: Dedicated to NuestraSeñora de la Encarnación, the originalchurch was substituted in the 18th c. bythe present enormous neo-classicalbuilding. The designs were conceived bythe architect Domingo Lois de Monteagu-do, with the assistance of Ventura Ro-dríguez, and the construction supervisedby Francisco Quintillán. It was completedin 1785. It follows the plan of a Latin cross,with a cupola on the transept and theSanctuary is an elegant chapel, now theBaptistry . It has an imposing façade, withtwo octagonal towers and various ele-ments that relate to the original church.The visit to the town centre, with itsbuildings and monuments, and a walk

round other points of interest nearby,such as the hermitage called Los Galle-gos or Señor de la Salud, and theBaroque Augustine convent, round off anattractive itinerary. Beyond, lie the fertilelands of the Vega, irrigated by the RiverGenil and a multitude of channnels,which run through the fields of intensivefarming; maize fields, poplar groves, veg-etable farms, punctuated by farmsteadsand barns for drying tobacco. Local cuisine is based on the excellentvegetables and fruit produced in the Vega. Dishes prepared with thyme andaromatic herbs are very popular, aswellas the emblematic sweet of Santa Fe,the piononos. Handicrafts include taxi-dermy, which is still practised in the oddworkshop.

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☛The Loja GateA portrait of Isabella the Catholic

The Coat of Arms of Santa FeA dish prepared with thyme

☛

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Washington Irving, in his cele-brated Tales of the Alhambra,leaves his impressions quiteclear in the lines he wrote onleaving Granada in 1829: “Inow could realize something ofthe feelings of poor Boabdil,when he bade adieu to the par-adise he was leaving behind…”

The traveller’s aspirations are fully satis-fied on completing the Route and uponsighting the capital, as would have beenthe case for the Romantic travellers twocenturies ago. Its rich past is consistentwith its irresistable magnetism. It all be-gan in the small Iberian village of Iliberis,which prospered in the Roman and Visig-othic periods under the nameof Elvira. Following thearrival of theMuslims, thearea grew and

in the 11th c., it became a principality ofal-Andalus. The Berber Zirid dynasty con-trolled its destiny until it succumbed tothe North African empire of the Al-moravids, who counted on Garnata asone of their principal sources of support,until their decline in the first half of the13th c. It is at this point that Granada ac-quired its singularity, thanks to Muham-mad Ibn al-Ahma, who opened it up to abrilliant period of cultural and artisticsplendour; a series of events whichwould fire the imagination of the Roman-tics until 1492, when the Catholic Mon-archs converted it to Christianity. Church-es, monasteries, palaces and other build-ings then proliferated, which added a ma-jestic collection of Gothic Renaissanceand Baroque art to the legacy of al-An-dalus. In the 19th c., the Romantic trav-

ellers shouted

Granada

A Morisco house☛

their “discovery” to the four winds andraised its category to that of paradise,thus attracting a torrent of visitors.The brief list of walks that follows, evokesthe steps taken by Washington Irving, to-gether with the favourite spots of the Ro-mantics. The Royal Hospital was the firstbuilding reached, coming along the roadfrom Santa Fe. Built at the command ofthe Catholic Monarchs in the 16th cen-tury, it has a lovely Renaissancecloister. Continuing towards thecentre along the Gran Vía, Grana-da’s main artery, one reaches theCorral del Carbón, which is theold wheat exchange, or AlhóndigaYidida, and a Nasrid building fromthe mid-14th c., with an exquisitefaçade, horseshoe arch and a porticoedpatio. Nearby are the Plaza del Carmen,with the Ayuntamiento, and the cross-roads at the Puerta Real, aswell as the in-tricate stretch of streets and squares, fullof activity and local colour. They includethe Plaza Bib-Rambla, the calle del Za-catín, the Alcaicería, the calle Oficios andthe Plaza del Cabildo, where the Madrazastands; the centre for studies founded byYusuf I in 1349, and dedicated to theology,philosophy, medicine, mathematics andother sciences. Opposite, by the side ofthe Cathedral and on the spot formerly

occupied by the mosque, are the Lonjaand the Capilla Real, symbol of theCatholic Monarchs in the city which theyconquered. This is their Mausoleum, a severe 16th c. edifice. The Cathedral risesalongside the Chapel, a grandiose Renais-sance church in whose construction Diegode Siloé was involved and the Baroquefaçade of which was the work of AlonsoCano. In the vecinity of the Cathedral,there is a chain of attractive neighbour-hoods, full of romantic references, like thehouse of Eugenia de Montijo, in the calleGracia, and a host of historical references,from the Iglesia de los santos Justo yPastor, to San Juan de Dios, a fineBaroque building, and San Jerónimo.After walking through the narrow streetsin the centre, Irving immediately headed

for the Alhambra, the sanctum sanc-torum of the Romantic traveller.

After crossing the Plaza de Isabella Católica and the Plaza Nueva,on the side of which is the at-tractive façade of the Chancery,built in 1531, “we went up the

calle de los Gomeres, the nameof a Moorish family, famous in

chronicles and romances”, to thePuerta de las Granadas. On a spur to thesouth, stands the castle of Torres Berme-jas, which dates from the 11th century.Ahead lie the steep paths, which, be-tween the murmur of streams, risethrough the woods to the Pilar de CarlosV (a fountain) and the Puerta de la Justi-cia, built at the order of Yusuf I in 1348.The Hand of Fátima, a Muslim talismanalluding to Coranic laws, can be seen onthe façade, and the key, an emblem ofthe power of the Faith, frequently usedby the Nasrids. Finally, the Alhambra,from the Arabic al-hamra, the red, oppo-site the Albaicín and built by MuhammadIbn al-Ahmar. “As always, the setting suncasts a melancholy splendour on theruddy towers of the Alhambra” wrote W.Irving. In the course of the 13th and 14thcenturies, his succesors, and in particu-lar Yusuf I and Muhammad V, continuedthe work of construction, adding walls,towers, gates, mosques, palaces and gar-

34 35

dens, which finally resulted in the mostextensive military and palatine complexin the Muslim world.On passing through the recessed en-trance of the Gate of Justice, a rampleads up to the Puerta del Vino, whichdemonstrates the refinement of Nasridarchitecture. Alongside, is the Plaza delos Aljibes and the Palace of Charles V, amajestic Renaissance building, designedby Pedro Machuca at the beginning ofthe 16th c., with a circular porticoed pa-tio, within the square-shaped frame.The Alcazaba, built in the mid-13th c., con-sists of a very strong perimeter wall, a pa-rade ground, a military quarter and vari-ous towers, such as that of the Torre del

Homenaje (keep), the first Royal residence,the Torre de las Armas, above a gateway,and the Torre la Vela, or de la Campana,the foremost of them, with incomparableviews over Granada and the Vega.In the old Royal Residence, there are asuccession of palatial buildings such asthe Mexuar, where the Sura (Council ofMinisters) met, with an oratory and theGolden Room, where the sultan receivedhis subjects, with an elaborate façade inplasterwork, the construction of whichwas ordered in 1370 by Muhammad V.This flanks the passage to the Patio delos Arrayanes or Patio de la Alberca, atranquil pool which reflects the Torre deComares, site of the fabulous Hall of theAmbassadors, covered by the symbolictimberwork ceiling, which represents theseven heavens on the path to Allah, inone of the most important rooms of thewhole complex. Moving on, one reachesthe Palace of the Lions, distributedaround a patio, with a gallery of 124 mar-ble columns and a fountain supported by12 lions. To the South, the Sala de losAbencerrajes, with its splendid honey-combed dome, where it is said the noblesof the Abencerrage clan perished. To theNorth, the Hall of the Two Sisters andthe Lindaraja mirador, which gives onto asmall garden, adjoining Charles V’sapartments, which is where WashingtonIrving lodged during his stay in Granada.

A balcony in the MadrazaThe Alhambra ☛

The Façade of the Royal ChapelA Portrait of Washington IrvingThe Patio of the Corral del Carbón

☛

It is near the Tocador de la Reina, a mi-rador with a privileged view of the Al-baicín The Royal Baths are between thepalaces of Comares and the Lions. To theEast, the luxurious Hall of the Kings, anarea given over to receptions and ban-quets. The Palacio del Partal is the old-est, built at the beginning of the14th c. and together withthe Ladies Tower, andthe Oratory, standsaround another cen-tral pool. Various oth-er towers, such as theCautiva, or Las Infantas,are on the way to the Genera-life, the summer palace, which was builtbetween the end of the 13th c. and thebeginning of the 14th c. and which recre-ates a universal paradise of verdure andwater, with a splendid residence, amidstgardens and orchards. The descent from the Alhambra leads toother no less romantic spots. From thePlaza Nueva, with the portico of the Igle-

sia de Santa Ana, a synthesis of Renais-sance and Mudéjar, one goes up the Carrera del Darro. Following the canal-ized river one passes El Bañuelo, the No-gal Moorish baths, the convent of SantaCatalina and the Casa de Zafra, the Casade Castril, now the Archaeological Muse-um, the church of San Pedro y Pablo, untilone reaches the Paseo de los Tristes. Up-river, one comes onto a path betweengroves and trees, leading to the Fuentedel Avellano. The Albaicin Quarter risesup a hill on the righthand bank of theDarro and is a maze of miradors and cy-presses, slopes, cobbled streets andsquares with springs, of houses andcármenes of churches which weremosques, convents, walls and doors,nooks and cranies, handicraft workshopsand popular taverns. One discovers thevery esence of Granada. The Cuesta delChapiz, lined with palaces and al-Andalushouses, runs uphill, leaving the road toSacromonte to one side, a hill on which

the Abbey stands and the fa-mous gypsy quarter of

caves; the showcase oftraditional gypsy folk-lore and customs, soloved by the Roman-

tics. A trail of interest-ing places mark the walk

through the Alabaicin, like theSan Juan de los Reyes church and, onthe higher part, the Salvador church,which still conserves the patio of ablu-tions, of the main mosque in the quarter.At the summit, one reaches the Iglesia deSan Nicolás, with its square, its springand its mirador, from where one canwatch the “most beautiful sunsets in theworld...” In the vecinity are the Arco de

36

las Pesas, the convent of Santa Isabel laReal and the Palacio de Daralhorra, theelegant “Sultana’s House”, which wasbuilt in the 15th c. in the grounds of theformer 11th c. alcazaba of the Zirid kings.To the West and the North, the streetsrun downwards, like the picturesqueCalderería, as far as the line of the oldcity wall, marked by the formidable Puer-ta de Elvira, of Nasrid construction, thePuerta de Monaita and the ramparts ofthe Cuesta de Alhacaba, which definedthe perimeter of the Zirid citadel. SanCristóbal and San Miguel Alto are thetwo churches with spectacular miradors,which crown the rises to the West and theNorth of the Albaicin and the Alhambra.Taking the Alhambra as the centrepointfor these walks through Granada, onenow moves to the south and the east,through the neighbourhoods of Mauror,the former Jewry, and Antequeruela,sweet little pathways, embellished by thecarmen of the Rodríguez Acosta Founda-tion, the Casa Museo of the composerManuel de Falla, the Auditorium and theCarmen de los Mártires, where onceagain one can experience the heavenlycalm of the gardens of Granada. Furtherdown, one comes to the Campo delPríncipe, a large and welcoming meetingplace, and the Realejo quarter, moving onto the Campillo Bajo, where the more rel-evant points of interest include palaces,like the Casa de los Tiros and FatherSuarez’s house, churches like that of San-to Domingo, enclaves like the Plaza deMariana Pineda, with its totally romanticfeel, and the Cuarto Real de SantoDomingo, or Palacio de Almanxarra,which constitutes the remains of the Nas-rid royal residence. The Carrera del Genil,

overlooked by the pointed towers of theBaroque Iglesia de las Angustias, PatronSaint of the city, leads on to the Paseodel Salón and the course of River Genil.On the left bank, along the Paseo del Vio-lón, are two final references. Beyond thewalls, the San Sebastián Hermitage ofdelicate brickwork; a former Muslimmarabout and oratory, and the Alcázardel Genil, a sumptuous palace surround-ed by pools and orchards, which be-longed to the Nasrid queens, with exqui-site rooms covered in delicate honey-comb plasterwork and inscriptions.The city is still an impo-rant centre of crafts-men , particularlywith regard to theuse of wood inthings like mar-quetry, pottery,metalwork, jew-ellery, stone andglasswork. Old Traditions are maintainedin all the varieties of pottery and ceramicwork, and the ceramics of al-Andalus in-spiration stand out; those with metallicfinishes, cuerda seca, depicting thepomegranate, or Fajalauza.This fascinating walk through the city canbe rounded off at the Cartuja monasteryor at the Huerta de San Vicente, with itslinks to Lorca. Following the Genil upriver,on the road to the Sierra Nevada, Solair,or “Snowy Maountains”, one arrives atthe summit of the Iberian Peninsula,dominated by the peak of Mulhacén, at3,482 metres. Over a century and a halfago, Richard Ford didn’t hesitate to rec-ommend this trip: “The lover of Alpinelandscapes should, by whatever means inhis grasp, ascend the Sierra Nevada…”

37

The Church of San CristóbalA Ceramic tile

The Sierra Nevada with Granada at its feet☛

The Patio of the Iglesia del SalvadorDancing, with the Alhambra in the backgroundThe Zirid RampartsSan Cecilio

☛

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