La Alpujarra

Strewn across the southern face of the Sierra Nevada mountains lay the villages of the Alpujarra, whose isolated existence offers a window into a bygone past unlike anywhere else in Spain.

Built by the Moors in the time of Al-Andalus, the hillside villages were constructed in a style that reflected towns in the mountains of North Africa, defined by winding, narrow streets and small houses with flat roofs.

After the Catholic reconquista of Iberia concluded with the capture of Granada in 1492, the region of the Alpujarra served as one of the last holdouts of Islam on the peninsula: the Moors staged years-long revolts in 1499 and 1568 to resist their forced conversion to Christianity, but each was ultimately crushed by the Spaniards, and the Moors were driven out and replaced with settlers from all over Spain.

The few thousand new residents subsisted mainly on the cultivation of olives, grapes, citrus, and other fruit along the lower slopes and the valley below, mostly cut off from the rest of Spain until the construction of better roads during the 20th century. During the country’s civil war (1936-1939), the region again served as a last hold out for the Republican forces battling against the fascists: guerrilla fighters hid themselves in the mountainous villages and battled against the Guardia Civil for another three years beyond the fascists’ declared victory.

Today, a visit to the Alpujarra feels like a trip centuries into the past. I recommend a day trip to the Barranco de Poqueira, a group of three villages with a spectacular physical setting, perched high up on a steep hillside along the gorge of the Poqueira river. In ascending order of altitude, they are Pampaneira, Bubión, and Capileira.

Located an hour and a half from Granada by bus, start your visit in Pampaneira and work your way up. Wander the streets of each village, soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the singular architecture. As you walk, try to imagine yourself in the time of Al-Andalus, when these villages were in their heyday as an agricultural hub specializing in silk production.

Traveling between the villages is easy, either by a bus ride of a few minutes or, if you fancy a better view, walking––a little over an hour from Pampaneira to Bubión, but just a half hour from Bubión to Capileira. Stop in Bubión for lunch to try some traditional cooking from the region.