Area Guide Las Alpujarras
| Las Alpujarras |
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The Alpujarras can be found at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada; the area is famous throughout Spain because of its unique mini-ecology. Constant watering of its terraced farmlands by the melting snow from the Sierra Nevada results in an abundance of greenery which stands in dramatic contrast to the arid foothills below.  When Granada, the last Moorish city, was captured by Ferdinand V and Isabella I in 1492, those Moors who were not driven from Spain were forced to convert to Christianity. However, two groups, the Mudejares and Moriscos, survived by moving south into the hills, settling in the Alpujarras. There they remained until it was decreed, following the Morisco Rebellion of 1568, that all people of Arab descent be expelled from the Kingdom of Granada.  On the opposite side of the Alpujarras, the villages of Albuñuelas, Saleres, Restábal, Melegís, Pinos del Valle, Cónchar, Lecrin (Talara)/Mondújar, Chite, Murchas, Dúrcal, Nigüelas, Acequias make up the area of outstanding natural beauty known as The Lecrin Valley, described by the Moors as the Valley of Happiness. Relatively untouched by tourism it is a beautiful and unspoiled valley, with some of the smaller villages still reliant on local produce being delivered on a daily basis. Throughout the valley, newly erected signs informing of Roman or Arab baths, ruined castles, old olive mills and interesting churches can be seen, although little other information is given, leaving the visitor to delight in the discovery of the hidden treasures this area has to offer. |