Alpujarras
Encyclopedia
Historical region
Historical regions are delimitations of geographic areas for studying and analysing social development of period-specific cultures without any reference to contemporary political, economic or social organisations....
in Southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
mountains near Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
in the autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
. The western part of the region lies in the province of Granada
Granada (province)
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea . Its capital city is also called Granada.The province covers an area of 12,635 km²...
and the eastern part in the province of Almería
Almería (province)
-History:The rich customs and Fiestas of the denizens retain links deep into the past, unto the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Phoenicians.During the taifa era, it was ruled by the Moor Banu al-Amiri from 1012 to 1038, briefly annexed by Valencia , then given by Zaragoza to the Banu Sumadih...
. In older sources the name is sometimes spelled Alpuxarras.
Geography
This mountainous region consists principally of valleys which descend at right angles from the ridges of the Sierra NevadaSierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
on the north, to the Sierras Almijara, Contraviesa and Gádor, which separate it from the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, to the south.
The region is one of great natural beauty. Because of a warm southerly climate combined with a reliable supply of water for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
from the rivers running off the Sierra Nevada, the valleys of the western Alpujarras are among the most fertile in Spain, though the steepness of the terrain means that they can only be cultivated in small fields, so that many modern agricultural techniques are impractical. They contain a rich abundance of fruit trees, especially grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
vines, oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s, persimmon
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
s, fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s and almonds. The eastern Alpujarra, in the province of Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, is more arid, but still highly attractive.
The largest villages in the district are Lanjarón
Lanjarón
Lanjarón is a municipality and town in the Alpujarras area in the province of Granada in Andalusia, Spain.Lanjarón has a ruined castle and chalybeate baths....
, with its ruined castle and chalybeate
Chalybeate
Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.-Name:The word "chalybeate" is derived from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs", which follows from the Greek word "khalups"...
baths, Órgiva
Órgiva
Órgiva is a municipality in the Alpujarra mountains in Spain. It has a population of around 6,000 and lies in a depression between the Sierra de Lujar and Sierra Nevada. In recent years it has become a popular tourist destination for those visiting La Alpujarra, and the town is often described as...
, Ugíjar
Ugíjar
Ugíjar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 2524 inhabitants....
, Laujar, Berja
Berja
Berja is a municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is located on the south-eastern slope of the Sierra de Gádor, 10 miles north-east of Adra by road.-History:...
. All are situated at a considerable elevation, and Trevélez
Trevélez
Trevélez is a village in the province of Granada, Spain. Its population in 2002 was estimated at 799. The river Trevélez flows through the village...
, whose main church is at 1476 metres (4,842.5 ft) above sea level, is the highest recognised town in Spain. The three white villages in the gorge of the Rio Poqueira, Pampaneira
Pampaneira
Pampaneira is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the village has a population of 355 inhabitants....
, Bubión
Bubión
Bubión is a village in La Alpujarra region of Granada in Spain. It is located at latitude 36° 57' N, longitude 3° 21' W, at 1,350 metres above sea level. Its postal code is 18412...
and Capileira
Capileira
Capileira is the highest and most northerly of the three villages in the gorge of the Poqueira river in the La Alpujarra district of the province of Granada, in Spain. It is located at latitude 36° 57' N and longitude 3° 21' W, about 1 km north of Bubión...
, have become recognised tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destinations; however, there are many other equally traditional villages of similar appearance, for example those in the La Taha
La Taha
La Taha, is a municipality in the Alpujarras region of the province of Granada, Spain. The modern municipality consists of three distinct villages, though several of the villages are themselves clusters of distinct settlements. It lies to the east of the villages of the Río Poqueira gorge, and to...
municipality to the east of the Poqueira gorge. The steepness of the land means that the houses in the villages seem to be piled on top of another, and their characteristic flat roofs, distinctive roofed chimneys, and balconies (tináos) extending across the steep narrow streets give them a unique and picturesque appearance.
Among the agricultural specialities of the region is a variety of air-cured ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, especially associated with Trevélez
Trevélez
Trevélez is a village in the province of Granada, Spain. Its population in 2002 was estimated at 799. The river Trevélez flows through the village...
. In general, however, the impossibility of mechanising agriculture in such a district means that it is not competitive under modern conditions, and the growth area of the economy is tourism. The district is served by bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services from Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, and can be reached in a few hours from the international airport at Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
. The GR 7
GR 7 (Spain)
The GR 7 is a long-distance footpath in Spain. It is part of the network of Senderos de Gran Recorrido, and forms the westernmost part of the European walking route E4 which runs from Spain to Greece....
(E4) "Mediterranean Arc" European long-distance footpath
European long-distance paths
The European long-distance paths are a network of long-distance footpaths that traverse Europe. While most long-distance footpaths in Europe are located in just one country or region, each of these numbered European long-distance paths passes through many different countries.The European...
passes through the region.
Chris Stewart's
Chris Stewart (author)
Christopher 'Chris' Stewart , was the original drummer and a founding member of Genesis. He is now a farmer and an author.-Background and musical career:...
best seller Driving Over Lemons is set in La Alpujarra. Gerald Brenan
Gerald Brenan
Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE was a British writer and Hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain.He is best known for The Spanish Labyrinth, a historical work on the background to the Spanish Civil War, and for South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village...
described his seven year stay in the region in the 1920s in South From Granada
South from Granada (book)
South from Granada: Seven Years in an Andalusian Village is an autobiographical book by Gerald Brenan, first published in 1957.Brenan, a fringe member of the Bloomsbury Group, lived in the Alpujarras region of Andalusia in the 1920s. The book is an example of travel literature, mixing autobiography...
.
History
La Alpujarra was successively settled by Ibero-Celtic peoples, by the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and by the Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
s. In the 8th century the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
conquered southern Spain and the region remained in their hands for over 800 years but it was in the last 150 years of that period that it became heavily populated as the Reconquista conquered all Muslim controlled lands in the mid 13th century, except the Emirate of Granada
Emirate of Granada
The Emirate of Granada , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an-Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212...
. The region became a refuge of the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, where, as Moriscos, they maintained a distinct culture for nearly 150 years after the fall of Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
in 1492.
During the sixteenth century there were several uprisings in the area after the Moors were forced to choose between conversion to Christianity or expulsion. One of the Spanish expeditions against the Moriscos was led by Philip's illegitimate half-brother Don John of Austria. As a historical curiosity, the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
, residing in Spain after the Spanish Conquest of Peru, took part in that expedition.
Following the Second Rebellion of the Alpujarras
Morisco Revolt
The Morisco Revolt , also known as War of Las Alpujarras or Revolt of Las Alpujarras, in what is now Andalusia in southern Spain, was a rebellion against the Crown of Castile by the remaining Muslim converts to Christianity from the Kingdom of Granada.-The defeat of Muslim Spain:In the wake of the...
in 1568, the Moorish population was evicted from the region and dispersed. By order of the Spanish crown two Moorish families were required to remain in each village in order to demonstrate the workings of the terracing
Terrace (agriculture)
Terraces are used in farming to cultivate sloped land. Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and surface runoff, and are effective for growing crops requiring much water, such as rice...
and irrigation systems on which the district's agriculture depends to the new inhabitants, introduced from other parts of Spain.. The problems with the Moriscos did not disappear and eventually the entire Morisco population of Spain was expelled to north Africa in 1609, an event which seriously damaged the economy of the region.
The influence of the Moorish population can be seen in the distinct cubic architecture (reminiscent of Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
architecture in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
's Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
), the local cuisine
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
, the local carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
weaving, and the numerous Arabic place names.
Etymology
The name Alpujarras may derive from ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
al Busherat meaning "the grass-land".
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón travelled through the Alpujarras in the second half of the nineteenth century publishing in 1874 a book about the experience titled La Alpujarra. In this book he gives four possible origins for the name, based on the classical writer Luis del Mármol:
- From Arabic "abuxarra" ('turbulent') referring to the tendency of its inhabitants to rebel against authority.
- From Arabic "abuxarra" ('the unvanquished') based on the work of the ArabistArabistThis is an article about the western scholars known as Arabists, not the political movement Pan-Arabism.An Arabist is someone normally from outside the Arab World who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture, and often Arabic literature.-Origins:Arabists began in medieval...
Miguel Lafuente Alcántara. - From Arabic "albordjela" ('fortified'), following opinion of the Arabists Romey and Silvestre de SacySilvestre de SacyAntoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de Sacy , was a French linguist and orientalist. His son, Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy, became a journalist.-Early life:...
. They based their conclusions on the work of the Arab historian Suar el-Kaicí. - From Arabic "albuxarrat" ('white mountains' or 'snowy mountains'), following the view of Spanish historian Simonet.
See also
- Comarcas of AndalusiaComarcas of AndalusiaIn Andalusia, comarcas have no defined administrative powers; many municipalities have gathered together to form mancomunidades in order to provide basic services, but those do not always coincide with the traditional comarcas...
- Morisco RevoltMorisco RevoltThe Morisco Revolt , also known as War of Las Alpujarras or Revolt of Las Alpujarras, in what is now Andalusia in southern Spain, was a rebellion against the Crown of Castile by the remaining Muslim converts to Christianity from the Kingdom of Granada.-The defeat of Muslim Spain:In the wake of the...
- Sierra Nevada National ParkSierra Nevada National Park (Spain)The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada is located in Granada and Almería provinces in south-eastern Spain. It was declared a national park on 14 January 1999. It stretches from the Alpujarra to El Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley, covering a total area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national...
External links
- Tourist information and Las Alpujarras community portal
- Sierra Nevada Natural Park
- Some villages of La Alpujarra
- Information on La Alpujarra in the provinces of Granada and Almeria
36°56′N 03°20′W