Alpujarra De La Sierra

Map of Alpujarra De La Sierra

Upcoming events in Alpujarra De La Sierra

Today (Tuesday, Jan. 1st 2008)
Festival of the Child of God/
In 6 days (Thursday, May. 15th 2008)
Festival of Saint Isidro/
In 20 weeks (Monday, Sep. 29th 2008)
Festival of Saint Michael/

Alpujarra de la sierra is a community made up to two towns, Mecina Bombarón and Yegen which were officially joined in 1971 to form the new municipality. Situated on the left bank of the Rio Grande and on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Alpujarra de la Sierra is situated in an area of breathtaking natural beauty. Both photographers and nature lovers are a common sight particularly in Yegen’s steep streets, historic homes, and stunning gardens. Booklovers also frequent the Alpujarra de la Sierra following in the footsteps of British writer, Gerald Brenan whose book ‘South from Granada’ was set in Yegen. The smaller of the two Alpujarran towns, Mecina Bombarón, is also popular due to its river, Rio Bombarón and breath-taking waterfall, Barranco de las Chorres. The waterfall plunges over a rock outcrop to a pool below. This is extremely popular in summer when tourists flock to swim in the pool and sunbathe on the rocks.

History

Like much of the area Alpujarra de la sierra is believed to have ancient roots, and was certainly inhabited by Roman times, as evidenced by the Roman bridge in the middle of Mecina Bombarón. The bridge was later reinforced by the Moors before the reconquest by the Catholic Kings who seized Alpujarra de Sierra as part of their claimed lands in 1492. In 1571 following the expulsion of Moors from the area, King Philip II ordered that the Alpujarras were repopulated and more than 2000 families from Galicia, Leon, Asturias and Castilla came to live in the region. The forcible expulsion of the Moors has lead to many ledgends of hidden treasures in the region, left by teh fleeing Arab families. Sites with names such as the ‘Cave of the soldier’, ‘Treasury Alamillo’ or the ‘Pit of Riegecillo’ are thus common in the Alpujarras de Sierra.

Attractions

Today the entire area surrounding the Alpujarras de Sierra has been designated Natural Parkland or part of the Sierra Nevada mountain habitat. This means it is protected from development and has many walks and areas of outstanding natural beauty within a short walk of the villages. In Autumn nature is celebrated in particular with an Autumn festival in honour of the chestnut. During the festival chestnuts are roasted and eaten on their own or made into chestnut stew. A soup blending fennel, fried garlic, and stock is also popular, and is still made according to old local recipes handed down through families. At other times of the year there is still plenty to see including the Museo Fotográfico de La Alpujarra – which houses photographs of the area from the 1950’s to the present day. The Yegen Church is also worth a visit, dating back to the 1500s, and decorated in Moorish style.

Written by: Costa Tropical Internet