Cultural interest

The origins of Pampaneira date back to Roman settlements. La Alpujarra region sheltered the natives of Al-Andalus after their expulsion from Granada. For almost a century, they continued to speak their language and maintain their customs. After their final expulsion, the region had to be repopulated with settlers from León and Galicia.

Despite its similarity to Galician place names, the etymology of the village’s name has nothing to do with that language. It comes from the Latin word pampinus, meaning vine shoot, referring to the vines that characterise the area, plus the Mozarabic suffix –eira, in turn from the Latin –arius, which together created the current name.

From its Moorish past, the streets of the town have inherited an intricate urban layout and typical Berber architecture, features that are visible in its white houses with flat roofs topped by chimneys cap, as well as the presence of water in its streets in the form of fountains and irrigation channels.

The Church of Santa Cruz dates back to 1726.

La Alpujarra is located between Sierra Nevada, Sierra de Lújar and Sierra de Gádor, sloping down towards the Mediterranean from the highest peaks on the peninsula, Mulhacén and Veleta. It is a rugged landscape dotted with ravines, gorges and valleys, on whose slopes the villages of this region are nestled.

The Guadalfeo River crosses La Alpujarra and divides it lengthwise, giving rise to the Upper Alpujarra and Lower Alpujarra. In the upper part there are villages such as Bérchules, Busquístar, Bubión, Juviles and Yegen, and in the lower part Lújar, Sorvilán and Albondón, among others.

Due to its particularly mountainous geography, the villages of La Alpujarra have adapted to the uneven terrain, arranging the layout of narrow streets that go up and down, white houses staggered, facing south to take advantage of the good climate, slate roofs, tinaos, fountains and washing places.

It has been documented that it was inhabited by Phoenicians and Romans. Eight centuries of Muslim presence have left their mark on the place names, the terraced architecture of the villages, the irrigation system and the cuisine.

One of the main tourist destinations is the Barranco del Poqueira (Poqueira Ravine), where the villages of Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira are located.

La Alpujarra is home to the highest municipality in Europe, Trevélez, which is located 1,476 metres above sea level. This village in La Alpujarra is best known for its hams.

The charm of the villages of La Alpujarra has inspired travellers and writers, such as Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, who wrote the first travel book in Spanish, La Alpujarra, published in 1873. For Federico García Lorca, it was “the land of nowhere”. And the British Hispanist Gerald Brenan, who settled in Yegen in 1920, wrote ‘South of Granada’, published in 1957, in which he recounted life in La Alpujarra in those years.

This is an ancient Islamic fortress of which only part of the walls, remains of the keep and the cistern remain. From this castle, the Moors could watch over much of the region. A defensive construction that played an important role in La Alpujarra rebellion that took place from 1568 to 1570, led by the Moorish nobleman Abén Humeya (1545-1569), whose Christian name was Hernando or Fernando de Válor y Córdoba.

It is located on Cerro Testigo, 1,139 metres above sea level. The monument can be accessed via a stony dirt track that leaves the A-4132 road between Pitres and Pampaneira.

It is situated between the municipal boundaries of La Taha and Pampaneira. The panoramic views from this point are breathtaking. You can see the peaks of El Veleta and El Mulhacén, as well as the course of the Guadalfeo River.

Balates de Piedra Seca (Dry stone walls) have been part of the agricultural landscape for centuries. Their function is to protect the land from erosion.

This construction technique has traditionally been used in the Barranco del Poqueira (Poqueira Ravine), the rest of the Alpujarra region and other parts of Spain ─Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia and Valencia─, but also in European countries such as Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. It has been recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2017.

‘Dry stone walls play an essential role in preventing landslides, floods and avalanches,’ according to UNESCO’s Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This created small terraces that were filled with fertile soil from the valley floor, transported by mules. They formed flat areas where rainwater was retained, erosion was prevented and, at the same time, could be used for natural irrigation. These walls are unstable and require regular maintenance.

They are low walls, built following the contours of the hills, stacking local stones without concrete or binding agents, which farmers have been building for centuries on the hills and slopes of the Poqueira Ravine to plant vines, olive trees or cereals.

For Federico García Lorca, La Alpujarra was ‘the land of nowhere’, as he told Melchor Fernández Almagro in a letter written in 1921.

Lorca accompanied his family on their summer holidays in La Alpujarra from 1917 to 1934. He first accompanied his mother to be cured of her ailments with the waters of the Lanjarón Spa. He also visited on other occasions to enjoy what the people and lands of La Alpujarra had to offer, both with his family and friends. Together with Manuel de Falla, he travelled to other towns in the region to collect samples of local folklore.

During his stays in La Alpujarra, Lorca enjoyed experiences and had sensations that he would later incorporate into his work. There he wrote and drew, as well as answering letters and sending postcards to friends in which he recorded his impressions.
He wrote at least two complete poems, “Reyerta de mozos” and “La casada infiel”, which would form part of “Romancero Gitano”, published in 1928 and his first major popular success. He also wrote “En Málaga”, part of the “Eros con Bastón” series from “Canciones”.

It was also a place where Federico was surprised by popular discoveries: ‘I have found some very curious stories and romances’.

Also in Lanjarón, ‘the gateway to La Alpujarra’ as he called it, he put together a collection of his drawings for the exhibition held at the Dalmau art gallery, the only one he would ever do.

La Alpujarra remembers the poet from Granada with streets, squares, sculptures and regular cultural events.

In Pampaneira there is a promenade dedicated to Federico García Lorca, with a railing overlooking the green Barranco del Poqueira (Poqueira Ravine) and eight poems by the poet marked on tiles along a route that ends with two rustic fountains.

Photo: Lorca in Lanjarón, in 1927, Fuente de los Caños fountain/ (FGL Foundation).

In the mountains of La Alpujarra, near Pampaneira, lies O Sel Ling, a Buddhist retreat centre founded in 1980. Its name means ‘The place of clear light’ and was given to it by His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit in 1982. Courses and group retreats are regularly organised in this peaceful setting.

The purpose of this place, 1,600 metres above sea level, is to ‘promote the intensive practice of meditation’. The centre has simple cottages that are used for retreats, isolated and located in different parts of the mountain.

Visiting O Sel Ling is free and no prior reservation is necessary. Simply go during the permitted hours, which vary throughout the year. From June to 18 October: from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. And from 19 October to May: from 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Once you have parked your vehicle in the car park, you can begin your journey. From the main road to O Sel Ling there is an unpaved forest track in poor condition