Culturally significant landscape in Vélez-Blanco

Route: Balsa Parra street (start of the route), entering the town via the A-317 from Vélez-Rubio.

Located at the entrance to the town, the 1 Balsa Parra viewpoint offers panoramic views of the town with its houses perched on its eastern slope, as well as the terraces used for farming, the plain and 2 Sierra del Gigante, which 3 La Muela Grande is part of. The fact that the viewpoint is on the edge of a sharp slope gives visitors a unique experience and allows them to fully appreciate the vastness of the surrounding area. The plain in Vélez-Blanco represents a truly unique cultural landscape. It has been shaped by the erosion of rock as well as by the peoples that have called it home over the millennia. This can be seen in the hillside terraces built for farming during the al-Andalus period. These gave rise to an extensive infrastructure involving ditches, ponds, rivers, streams and fountains, which allowed farmers to irrigate and diversify their crops by efficiently harnessing the water available to them. This made the area particularly attractive for settlers. The terraces also serve to prevent erosion and keep the water within the landscape, thus ensuring it maintains its characteristic appearance. From the viewpoint, you can also see how the plain continues until it reaches the foothills of La Muela Grande, part of Sierra Gigante. This peak holds deep symbolism for locals and is an ever-present natural landmark and visual reference in the landscape and on this route. To the east, in the distance you can also see the south-east tip of the region of Murcia in the distance.

Route: from Balsa Parra street, to Corredera avenue nº 5 (7 minutes).

Leaving behind the 4 Balsa Parra viewpoint, the route continues towards 5 avenida Corredera. Along this section, you can fully appreciate how the town has been built on the side of a hill. On Avenida Corredera, you will find 6 Caños de la Novia fountain. The crystal-clear water that flows out of this fountain is from the stream that runs through 7 Barranco de la Canastera This ravine is one of the natural features that has most conditioned the layout of the town. The fountain gets its name from a legend (‘novios’ meaning ‘girlfriend and boyfriend’ in Spanish), which tells the story of how two young lovers met at it. The tale has been passed down through the generations and the fountain continues to be a popular place for young people to come to. From Fuente de los Caños de la Novia, you can reach Barranco de la Canastera. Here, you can see how houses have been built at the top of the steep slopes of the ravine, separated by a deep valley with water running towards the plain. This section of the route, which goes along the path next to the stream, is densely populated with trees and lush vegetation. You will notice a series of small ditches along it. This distribute its water so it can be used to irrigate crops. Like the many other fountains in the town, Fuente de los Caños de la Novia is testimony to the importance given to water in Vélez-Blanco. This has seen an entire system built to make use of the water from the streams that flow down the mountainsides. It includes a large number of tanks, small ditches, waterwheels and watermills. Such structures are found along the stream in Barranco de la Canastera until it reaches its lowest point, where the extensive plain and its fields begin.

Route: from Corredera avenue nº 5 to the nº 24 (1 minute).

Continue to walk along 8 avenida Corredera until you get to 9 fuente de los Caños de la Plaza, a fountain located on a crossroads where the road becomes straight. This continues to be the town’s main road and is the result of its expansion during the Renaissance. This can be seen in its straight roads, which are in sharp contrast to those seen in the nearby medieval 10 La Morería (Moorish Quarter). These straight roads and the rectangular blocks they form are made possible by the flatter terrain in this part of the town. It is here that we find a number of outstanding examples of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Avenida Corredera is the beating heart of Vélez-Blanco, the main meeting place for locals and where many of its businesses are found. It is also home to a number of historical palatial homes, as well as the town’s 11 old prison (now occupied by the town hall), the 12 municipal library and 13 Church of Santiago Apóstol (Saint James the Apostle). This Mudéjar church was built during the 16th century and has a single nave as well as side chapels between its buttresses. It is one of the town’s main architectural landmarks, together with the 14 castle and 15 church of la Magdalena. Its bell tower stands out on the town’s skyline from a distance and can also be seen from multiple points throughout Vélez-Blanco. The 19th century saw the completion of this area of the town. It was during this period that a particular style of house appeared, belonging to medium and large landowners. These are bigger than those found in medieval Moorish Quarter. Their high facades (or part of them) are whitewashed and they often have windows and balconies protected by decorative iron bars. These kinds of buildings are so typical of the area that their style is known as clásico velezano. One particularly good example is the town hall.

Route: from Corredera avenue nº 24 to the Federico Motos street, nº 16 -18 (5 minutes).

At the end of Avenida Corredera, between 16 and 18 Calle Federico Motos, is a narrow alley leading onto a footpath that takes you down to 16 Barranco de la Fuente. The path runs along the ravine. Like 17 Barranco de la Canastera, it has played a significant role in shaping the layout of the town and provides it with a constant supply of water. The dense vegetation that grows in the ravine will provide you with some shade. This section of the route is a great chance to connect with nature, the only sound you will hear being the trickling of the stream. The location of Vélez-Blanco in Sierra María means the town has an abundant supply of water. This has resulted in an entire system being built over the centuries to harness this resource, and includes washhouses, troughs, ditches, tanks, waterwheels and watermills. It also comprises a large number of fountains, many of which our route takes us past. Particularly noteworthy ones are 18 Caños de la Novia, 19 Fuente Caños de la Plaza, 20 Cinco Caños, 21 Caños de Caravaca, 22 Caños del Mesón and 23 Fuente de la Alameda. The importance of water in the town can be clearly seen at number 31 of this street, where we find the 24 Centro de Interpretación de la Cultura del Agua, El Alporchón (El Alporchón Water Culture Visitor Center). This building is where the town’s Community of Irrigators come every morning to auction water rights by way of a unique centuries-old auction system known as alporchón (a term dating back to Roman times). This involves a ‘water tribunal’, overseen by a ‘water officer’, resolving any issues relating to water rights.

Route: descent to the Barranco de La Fuente on Federico Motos Street No. 16 to Cantarerías Street No. 11 (10 minutes).

After walking along 25 Barranco de la Fuente, the route takes you uphill on Calle Cantarerías until you reach 26 Convento de San Luis Obispo. This convent was founded with the support of Don Luis Fajardo Requensens between 1601 and 1615. The small tower and the facade of the temple, with its Plateresque entrance featuring the coat of arms of the 4th Marquess of Los Vélez, are what remain of the original Mudéjar Renaissance building. Its location conditioned the expansion of the town, giving rise to a new area known as «27 El Barrio». Its buildings have been adapted to the rugged, sloped terrain in their layout, continuing until they reach the edge of the ravine. Heading out of the built-up area to the north-east via Calle Cantarerías, you will find the farmland nearest to the town. Here, the terrain becomes much less rugged and extensive fields of grain are planted on gentle, rolling hills. This spot offers unparalleled sweeping views of the old town and allows you to fully appreciate how it has expanded over the centuries. From here, a few landmarks are worth noting. The first is the 28 palace-fortress of the Fajardos with its high keep, this being the main feature on the town’s skyline. The second is 29 Iglesia de la Magdalena. This is located at the foot of the castle in the medieval quarter known as 30 La Morería, which is characterised by its whitewashed houses built on a slope. The third is 31 Iglesia de Santiago Apostol, which marks the beginning of the town’s expansion during the Renaissance. This continues right until the very edge of Barranco de la Fuente.

Route: Cantarerías street to Marqués de Los Vélez avenue n.º 100 (7 minutes).

Walk along Calle Concepción (the continuation of Calle Cantarerías) until you reach Avenida Marqués de Los Vélez. On this street, you will find 32 Fuente de la Alameda and 33 Centro de Visitantes Almacén del Trigo (the Wheat Storehouse Visitor Centre), the sixth stop on our route. This visitor centre will allow you to find out more about the natural and cultural aspects of 34 Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park, as well as their importance for the local economy. This became the first ‘natural park’ in Andalusia in 1987 and 30% of Vélez-Blanco lies within it. The building itself is testimony to the importance of wheat for the town, which was used to produce flour at its mills from the 16th century onwards. This crop continues to be the main driving force behind the local economy and is now grown alongside barley. From the mid 1970s, almond trees also began to be grown through dryland farming and extensive olive groves appeared. However, olive milling has all but ceased in the town. Nowadays, the landscape reflects the diverse local economy. Firstly, we find terraces near the town on which fruit and vegetables are grown. These are watered using surface irrigation, also known as ‘flood irrigation’. Secondly, there are fields of grain, which use a two-field crop rotation system involving planting half the land and letting the other half rest for a year. Thirdly, there are extensive olive groves on the plain. Fourthly, we find flax, hemp and esparto grass. And finally, the natural resources offered by the area’s forests are also used. These include timber, mushrooms and aromatic plants for producing essences, although this sector is rather more precarious.

Route: Primavera street, Madrid street, Belén street, San Fernando street, Fuente de los Caños de Caravaca (7 minutes).

After leaving the 35 old wheat storehouse, the next stop on the route is 36 Fuente de los Caños de Caravaca, on Calle San Fernando. It was built by the 1st Marquess of Los Vélez in the 16th century to provide water for stables and livestock. Although it has undergone extensive changes over the years, its small basin, which collects water from the four spouts, as well as its trough, have remained intact. From here, you can see the rugged rocky elevation on which the highest part of the town sits, as well as the start of the ravine, which supplies water to the fountain before making its way under the road. Cross the street and follow the railings as the road begins to go uphill. This spot offers clear views of the rest of the ravine and allows you to see how it gets bigger and bigger as it makes its way downhill towards the plain, cutting through the town from west to east. One of the landmarks along the ravine is the 37 El Portillo municipal washhouse, another example of how water was harnessed for use by locals. From this viewpoint, you will see a vast Baroque building perched on the side of the ravine. This is 38 Casa de los Bañones, also known as Casa de los Arcos. Now a hotel, it has a vast facade featuring an open gallery made up of semicircular arches, each with a porthole above it. Towards the west, this spot also offers stunning views of the natural landscape around the ravine, as well as traditional houses and the slender silhouette of the tower belonging to 39 convento de San Luis Obispo set against the backdrop of the mountains, dominated by La Muela.

Route: From Fuente Caños de Caravaca to Calasparra Street (2 minutes).

To begin the uphill walk through 40 barrio de la Morería from 41 Fuente de los Caños de Caravaca, turn onto Calle Calasparra. As we leave the part of the town that dates back to the Renaissance behind, you will notice how the layout of the streets immediately changes. Here, the natural expansion of the town during the al-Andalus period gave rise to slightly winding streets, the result of the slope on which they are built. These have remained practically unchanged over the centuries. A series of parallel roads make their way uphill until they reach the outermost defensive structures of the castle. These are connected by side streets with steep slopes or stairs to make up for the differences in height. The vast majority of the houses here have been preserved. They are single-family homes and most are terraced, whitewashed and have small doors and windows. Barrio de la Morería was built by the Moors and its location at the foot of the castle was chosen for defensive purposes. It was originally enclosed by a wall accessed via three gates. However, this no longer exists. Here, you will find 42 Santa María Magdalena, a former mosque which was turned into a church following the capture of the town by the Crown of Castile in 1570. Parts of the walls of its nave as well as its Mudéjar tower remain standing, and it is one of the most distinctive landmarks in the town’s landscape. In this area of the town, you will also find 43 Cinco Caños, a fountain built in the 16th century with the inscription:

Route: From Calasparra street to Castillo street (6 minutes).

From Barrio de la Morería, Calle Castillo will take you to the highest point in the town, where you will find the 44 Castle of the Marquesses of Los Vélez. Also known as the Fortress of the Fajardos, it was built by Don Pedro Fajardo y Chacón in 1504, making use of the original Moorish alcazaba (fortress). The most visible remains from this period are a number of stone blocks at the entrance. Unfortunately, certain features from the Renaissance castle no longer remain in situ. These include the stone arches that once formed the galleries along the edges of the main patio, the frames of doors and windows, and heraldic motifs carved from stone, which were sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1904. The castle has a gallery facing east, which offers spectacular views of the plain and 45 La Muela Grande. Towards the east, near the town, you can also see the terraces used for farming. Beyond these are fields of grain that stretch for miles into the distance until they reach the foothills of the mountains. The castle also offers spectacular views of another defining feature of this landscape: the whitewashed houses that begin in 46 Morería neighborhood and stretch downhill and beyond, to the edge of the town. The views here allow visitors to fully appreciate the town’s landscape as well as just how strategic this site was for controlling and defending the area as well as demonstrating the power of the ruling classes through architecture.

The hospitals nearest to the points along the route are:

1 Consultorio Vélez Blanco, Calle Arco, 4, 04830, Vélez-Blanco, Almería, ☏ +34 950 41 95 00.

2 Hospital Universitario de Torrecárdenas, Calle Hermandad de Donantes de Sangre, s/n., 04009, Almería, ☏ +34 950 01 61 14.

3 Hospital de La Inmaculada, Avda. Dra. Ana Parra, S/N 04600 Huércal-Overa, ☏ +34 950 02 91 76.