Alpujarras

We are now in our tenth year of living in the Alpujarra(s) - known variously as La Alpujarra or Las Alpujarras - which is a mountainous district in Southern Spain,  stretching south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada in the autonomous region of Andalusia. The western part of the region lies in the province of Granada and the eastern part in the province of Almería. In older documents the spelling 'Alpuxarras' is sometimes used. It consists of over 60 towns and villages with a total population of around 25 thousand - organised into over 30 municipalities (municipios). * Almost every pueblo has at least one fiesta each year (details available on the individual town/village page).

Most of the pueblos in Las Alpujarras are served by a travelling market, operating on fixed days of the month - regardless of the day of the week. You can see each pueblo's market days laid out in sequence on the Alpujarran calendar.

It is an area of many steep valleys lying between the Sierra Nevada (on the north) to the Sierras Almijara, Contraviesa and Gádor, which separate the Alpujarras from the Mediterranean. Many of the towns and villages contain areas within the Sierra Nevada Natural Park - an area of immense popularity for walking, mountain biking, horse riding and river fishing.

Within it are the two highest mountains of the Iberian Peninsula: Mulhacen at 3,482m (11,400') and Veleta at 3,398m (11,100').

Check out the hotel deals for your chosen destination at Booking.com.

History: The history of the region varies through pre-Roman times when it was occupied by Tartesian and Carthaginian rulers through Visigoth, Moorish and Catholic control.

See the history page for more info.

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Books from Amazon . . .
South From Granada (Penguin Modern Classics) by Gerald Brenan (Author), Chris Stewart (Introduction)	Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia (The Lemons Trilogy) by Chris Stewart (Author)	Holiday Walks in the Alpujarra by Jeremy Rabjohns (Author)	Alpujarras Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map (Tour & Trail Maps) by David Brawn (Author), Ros Brawn (Author)	You and the Law in Spain 2009-2010 by David Searl (Author)

Towns and villages: Although this is not yet a complete list yet, it does cover pretty much every Alpujarran village within the Province of Granada . . . . Albondon, Albunol, Alcazar, Alcutar, Almegijar, Alpujarra de la Sierra, Atalbeitar, Bargis, Bayacas, Berchules, Bubion, Busquistar, Cadiar, Canar, Capileira, Capilerilla, Carataunas, Castaras, Cherin, Cojayar, El Golco, Ferreirola, Fondales, Fregenite, Gualchos, Jorairatar, Jubar, Juviles, La Taha, Lanjaron, Laroles, Lobras, Lujar, Mairena, Mecina-Alfahar, Mecina-Bombaron, Mecina-Tedel, Mecinilla, Montenegro, Murtas, Narila, Nechite, Nevada, Nieles, Notaez, Olias, Orgiva, Pampaneira, Picena, Pitres, Polopos, Portugos, Rubite, Soportujar, Sorvilan, Timar, Torvizcon, Trevelez, Turon, Ugijar, Valor, Yator, Yegen.

*Notes: The "Consejería de Turismo y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía" (roughly the Sport & Tourism Office) considers there to be two Alpujarras: the Alpujarra Almeriense and the Alpujarra Granadina. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Granada Alpujarra is defined as "Las Alpujarras" and the Almerian Alpujarra as "Alto Andarax". Some people also consider the Alpujarras to extend across the Contraviesa mountain range and down to the coast. I have decided (at least to start with) to confine this site to the towns and villages where there appears to be universal agreement that they are part of La(s) Alpujarra(s). See this post for a fuller (and updated) explanation.