Otí

var

The

inte

rior

par

adis

e of

the

Tro

pica

l Coa

st

•1•

O

The interior paradise

tivar is situated at the foot of the Sierra of Cazulasand the park of Tejeda, La Almijara y Alhama,

in the extreme western south of the province of Granada.Having a bit more of one thousand inhabitants,its 55 km2 draw the amazing interior sceneryof the Tropical Coast.

60 km away from Granada and13 from Almuñecar, the mainaccess is by the carretera de LaCabra (road) which, departingfrom the Suspiro del Moro(pass), in the highway Bailen-Motril, crosses the town to linkup with the A road 340 crossingAlmuñecar.

At 280 metres above sea level,the rough hillsides and the steepslopes are the main features ofOtivar mountains. In its munici-pal area the rio Verde (river) be-

gins to flow, going trough thevalley known by the same nameand watering the lands, beautifullyfull of subtropical fruits.

Otivar is, without any doubt,an ideal place to get lost and toenjoy fresh air and a subtropicalclimate unique in Europe.

Typical Andalusian streets,with white houses where the fa-chades are an explosion of colou-red plants and pots which bringthe rustic touch that the devoteesof rural tourism look for.

•2•

What to visitAmong the many places that canbe visited in this village, situatedright in the mountains and not farfrom the beach, we find the na-tural spots of the valley of RioVerde, placed between of thesierras de Almijara andCazulas (mountain ranges); SanJose Church, in mudejar style,built around the middle of the18th century. A walk along itsstreets and vantage points isessential. Vista Verde, Balcon

de Rio Verde or Sus-piro del Moro, areview points that haveimpressive dusks. A visitto the Palacete deCazulas is also a must.It is situated in full na-ture. Its origin is ro-man, and for a long ti-me it was the residenceof the marqueses ofMontanaro and it iscurrently a wonderfulrural hotel. The income

Puddle in the río de Las Chorreras

Viewpoint in Andalucia Park

Viewpoint in town hall square

•3•

Cuevas street

of this agricultral village comesmainly from the production ofsubtropical fruits, therefore it isobligatory to visit some of thefruit warehouses (corridas).

The adventureOtivar has got a public swim-ming pool, a gym and sport cen-tre, and if you love risk you canpractise paragliding, delta win-ged, rafting, climbing, trips by4x4 and mountain bike, orrambling in the splendid sites ofRio Verde. Otivar is also the mainentry to the Natural Park of

the Sierras de Tejeda, LaAlmijara y Alhama and it hasgot and information centre.

What to eatAs the typical mountain villageOtivar is dintinguished by its deli-cious traditional food: friedbread or flour scrumbs (migas),baby goat (choto), hunting meat,blood sausage (morcilla), long sau-sage (longaniza), fennels cooking(puchero de hinojos), grilled meat,salad with tropical fruits, fritters(buñuelos), honey coated pastry(pestiños) and assorted honey.

Palacete de Cázulas

San José Church

•4•

Plomo

F

About leads,heroes andfarmhouses

or centuries, Otivar was afarmhouse; used by travellers

to rest when they went from thecoast to Granada. The first popula-tion data dates back to the end of the15th century, when the farm-housewas inhabited by twenty neighbours.

Some prehistoric remains of littleimportance have been found onthe outskirts of the town. We donot know if it existed as a villagein the Roman period, but, accor-

ding to some resear-ches, in one of the

mountain ranges ofthe village there wasone of the mostimportant silverand platinum minesof the Iberian Pe-ninsula. The mine

was exploited until it was com-pletely buried after a landslide.

Roman remains, practicallyunknown, is the vaulted channelthat goes down underneath theground, through the bed of therio Verde to a place called LasAngosturas, where it linked withthe aqueduct of Almuñecar. Itwas used to take water during the

drought periods and was buriedin order to avoid the growth ofthe river destroying it.

But, without a doubt, thestructure of the actual urban cen-tre shows its arabic ancestry. Inexcavations done to build a hou-se, the remains of an Arab ceme-tery were discovered. Apartfrom the one in Otivar in the ac-tual town, there are two otherfarmhouses: Cazulas and Tu-rillas, which had ten and thirtyneighbours respectively.

An important Arab land-owner who could have givenshelter to the King BOABDIL afterleaving Granada lived in a smallpalace in Cazulas. But around1561, Cazulas and Turillas be-came depopulated after the ex-pulsion of the Moriscos fledfrom the place. The Christianresettlement that was done

•5•

Otivar panoramic

throughout the valley caused theconfiguration of Otivar as a vi-llage after the settlement of 95neighbours. The enormous farmof Cazulas was obtained by amarquis of the Spanish highnobility. In the place where themosque was, they built a churchin the Mudejar style, even after alot of reformations, assaults andfires throughout its history, it stillhas its original Mudejar structurealthough with a classic touch.

The Civil War left the villagedevastated socially and econo-mically. There were some peoplethat sheltered in the mountains tofight against Franco´s regime (ma-quis), but they were all eradicated.

During the second half ofthe 20th century, 75% of the po-pulation of Otivar emigrated,mostly to Cataluña and the Bas-que Country, but they also emi-grated to European and Ame-rican countries.

In 1973 Otivar obtained theIV Award from the ProvincialCompetition of the beautifica-tion of villages.

The Alcalde Caridad(Mayor Charity)The Napoleonic invasion in 1808caused the appearance of the gue-rrillas in Spain. A kind of resis-tance army without any militarytraining, that checkmated the,upto then, undefeated French ar-my. The guerrillas were comman-ded by a large and famous seriesof figures that legend or historyhas turned into heroes, and theysupplied the lack of training forthe exhausted knowledge of anintricate orography, perfect tohide and ambush the enemy. Oneof those heroes was JUAN FER-NANDEZ CAÑAS, Mayor of Oti-var, also known as ALCALDE CA-RIDAD or TIO CARIDAD.

•6•

Alcalde Caridad

When the Frenchtroops arrived inAlmuñecar inMay 1810, theyarranged a mee-ting with the au-thorities of theregion to swearfidelity to the Na-poleonic govern-ment. The Ma-yors are forced topay thousands ofreals and to handover all weapons.FERNANDEZ CA-ÑAS makes a firstpayment but he hides the arma-ments in the country. Days later hekills some of the soldiers that cameto capture him and he escapes. Herecruits some guerrillas and he kid-naps the members of the councilthat were going to seize his pro-perties. He releases them after

swearing not to serve the inva-ding army. The soldiers

besieged them and es-caped to Malaga. Ne-ar Nerja they make aregiment of 300infantry soldiers and300 cavalry soldiersleave. Hidden in thesierra de la Almi-

jara mountainrange, a few dayslater they burstinto the castillode La Herra-dura (castle) andinto the Garri-son of Nerja, sei-zing weapons,ammunition andfood. A little la-ter, Almuñecar,Salobreña andMotril fall, whereGENERAL WER-LE and his troopsleave for Grana-

da without offering any resistance.ALCALDE CARIDAD, encouraged,sends dispatches to all the villas inAlpujarras to recruit men. In onlythree months after the beginningof his campaign, he controls thewhole of the south province andbegins to prepare the assault onGranada, defended by GeneralSEBASTIANI, chief of the armiesof NAPOLEON. After some failedattempts, Sebastiani decides per-sonally to lead a powerful armyto remove ALCALDE CARIDAD

from Padul. The fight is tremen-dous. CARIDAD was seriouslyinjured. His guerrillas fled beforethe pressure of the Napoleonictroops. FERNANDEZ CAÑAS willspend 45 days hidden in a cavein Lentegi, fighting for his life.His party breaks up thinking hewas dead. Quite recovered from

his injuries, he meets, in Cazulas,

•7•

Lucero peak

with what is left of his guerrillas.The news makes them furious:after deceiving them with falsepromises in order to surrender,sixty men who formed the garri-son of the castillo de Almuñe-car were hanged. Since then therewould be no mercy. ArrestedFrenchmen or traitors are hangedwithout mercy.

The capaign will be savageuntil February 1811, just as NA-TALIO RIVAS tells in 1950 in TheAlcalde Caridad. His descriptionalso gives the idea of the terrorand pain of those times: Roughground and bushes suitable for lodgingpests, alternate with steep mountainranges of impossible access. The abyssesand cliffs inspire terror to the most hard-working mind, and the gullies are so deep,that daylight does not reach their depths.The scarce prairies lack trees; lands

completely bare so that the sun burns insummer and the winter frosts harden.In this scene so wild that man had toperform his difficult role, a mixture ofbeast and human being, in the space oftwo years of incessant fight.

His confrontations took himfrom Almeria to Malaga, even toAlhendin, at the gates of Grana-da, headquarters of GENERAL SE-BASTIANI and his brilliant GeneralStaff. His campaign ended in1812, when his health was fading.Just before that, the Governmentof the Regency appointed himacting Coronel. Hedied on 6th March1815, a year afterNAPOLEON´s defeat.

•8•

O

Immaculate,penitents and loquat

tivar starts the winter with thelocal festivity in honour of the

Virgin Mary Immaculate. The LoquatDay (Nispola Day) welcomes thespring. The day was thought topromote this subtropical fruitand to recover the folkloreand cultural heritageof the village andthe region.

The initial winter fair in honourof the Virgin Mary Immaculateused to take place from Decem-ber 7th to 10th. Children’s games,clay pigeon shooting, open airdance and night festivals are ty-pical these days. Typical dishesare also offered to neighboursand visitors at lunch time.

The Virgin Mary ImmaculateDay breaks with the sound ofthe local band going along itsnarrow steep streets. At noon themass in honour of the Virgin

gathers all the neighbours andthen music comes back with theband’s official concert in the mainsquare. In the afternoon there isthe procession of the Virgin. Cu-riously, the day 9th, the last dayof the festivities, is devoted tothe Virgin Rosemary, a belovedimage in the village.

Nowadays the fair is spon-sored by the local authorities butit was not long ago when the ownneighbours set up committeeswhich in turns dedicated to collect

•9•

the money. They even lodged themusicians from the band in theirhomes since there were no hotelsand the road network was almostnon-existent. In that period ofshortage, the local festivities werean extraordinary event. Single girlsin the village took the opportunityto wear a new dress. It was alsothe time of the year when every-body was able to eat meat, sincethe local shepherds offered theirgoats at a good price.

The Holy WeekThe Holy week in Otivar haschanged through the times. In thepast, the images in the churchused to be covered with a purplecurtain until Saturday of Glory.

After the mass of Palm Sunday,the neighbours walk in pro-cession along the streets carryingpalms and little olive tree bran-ches. On Holy Thursday theprocession of Jesus of Nazarethand the Virgin of Hope takes pla-ce, with all women dressed inwhite mantillas (beautiful hand-made embroidered cloths thatcover their heads and shoulders).

The religious holy services arecelebrated on the Holy Fridayalongside with the Via Crucis thatgoes around the calle Estación(street). Later this day, and withall the escort dressed in black, itstarts the procession of the Pro-cesión del Silencio (SilenceCarrying), with the DolorosaVirgin and the Crucified Christ.

The Loquat DayThe Loquat Day (Nispola Day )is celebrated in April. Its mainaims are to promote this fruit andto recover and revalue the fo-lklore and the cultural heritage ofthe region, specially the typicaldancing of el Robao, which has itsbirthplace in Otivar. The festivity

Loquat Day. Popular meal

Children´s Vía Crucis.Dancing «el Robao».

•10•

also pretends tointroduce a for-mative aspectdirected to thes u b t r o p i c a lfruits produ-cers by trying tomake them a-ware of tech-niques respec-tful with theenvironment

and applying quality criteria totheir products. Among the manyactivities that take place this day

we want to emphasize the LoquatContest in which all producers ofthe rio Verde area (Otivar, Jete,Lentegi, Almuñecar and Itrabo)take part, and the awarding of theGolden Loquat (Golden Nispola)to a prominent figure.

The Corpus ChristiThough preserving its colourfulscenery, the Corpus Christi Dayhas lost part of its essence. In thepast they use to put up an altar inthe main square the day after anopen air night dance where theneighbour. Nowadays several al-tars are raised in the streets togreet the procession as it passes by,but there is no open air night dan-

ce. As in other villages, altarsare decorated with white

bedspreads and linens,coppery and flowers.

Corpus Christi Day.

Traditional Flamenco eveningat the Restaurante Zamora.

•11•

A

A historic andetnographic walk

part from heavenly natural places and wonderfuldusks, Otivar surprises the traveller with the

delightful charm of the church San Jose or the SmallPalacete de Cazulas or with the footprints of a past linkedwith the economic activities, like the hydroelectric powersituation, the boilers, the mills or the olive-oil mills.

The village of CazulasCazulas was, in the period of thenazari, a farmhouse belonging tothe alfoz of Almuñecar. In 1492RODRIGO DE ULLOA, MayorAccountant of the Catholic Kingand Queen and Keeper of Almu-ñecar, buys it from ABUL-QASIM

B. HANI and from ABU ABD

ALLAH MUHAMMAD. The autoch-thonous population must havebeen still living in the place. But

at the beginning of the 16th cen-tury it was a deserted place.

Until the first half of the 16thcentury, it belonged to the Ulloafamily. In 1549, RODRIGO DE

ULLOA homonymous grandsonof the purchaser, and son of JUAN

DE ULLOA, also keeper of Almu-ñecar, obtains permission andsells the place to DIAZ SANCHEZ

DE AVILA, 24th knight of the

Palace and village of Cazulas

•12•

The chapel of Cazulas and gardens

council of Granada. Then it issold to the family Afan de Rive-ra, until it was bought by the fa-mily Bermudez de Castro in themiddle of the 19th century.

Until 1977, Cazulas was a mar-quisate. From the Muslim period,the way the village has been posse-ssed has changed a lot. In the firstmoment of Christian occupationa mainly territorial control has

been established, without its ownjurisdiction or noble rights. In themiddle of the 16th century, it isa domain which also spreadsthrough the area, occupying landsfrom other territorial units, ashappens with the old Muslimfarmhouse of Turillas.

In the middle of the 19th cen-tury, MADOZ says in his GEO-GRAPHIC DICTIONARY OF SPAIN:Casulas: added to the town hall of

Otivar...is reduced to a farm of pri-vateproperty, belonging to a neighbour of thecity of Granada. It is situated in themountains which takes its name, on theeast side of the gully of Almijara, andscattered in small groups which com-pose13 houses and a chapel, from which themain one, which is the one of the lord, isremarkable for its regularity, comfort andsolidity ,on an artificial plain, joined toanother two houses and a oil mill, andvery close to some ware-houses andwinery...,the chapel, although small, isof a regular and neat shape, built in1840 without its owner, and dedicatedto Saint Francisco de Paula... In 1842,it had 19 neighbours, 25 souls...

Nowadays, the Palacete deCazulas is beautifully restoredand it has among its buildings arural hotel, with a dozen roomsperfectly equipped. An ideal pla-ce to enjoy its natural environ-ment that surrounds it. It has achapel, a pool, spacious gardens,a ethnologic museum, a libraryand a dining hall.

The Church of San JoseDuring the 14th century, after

the fall of the nazari reign of Gra-nada, the ecclesiastic structure isinstalled in the new territory. Onthe coast of Granada, the quan-tity of temples is acceptable forthe most important coastal cen-tres: Motril, Almuñecar and Sa-lobreña. While the towns and theinterior places, like Otivar, can becatalogued as regular. For thisreason, the works and reparationsof the temples are so frequent,

•13•

especially during the 17th century.The parochial church of Otivar,in the Mudejar style, was builtaround 1560 by the builder FRAN-CISCO FERNANDEZ. Its floor hasone nave and is covered withframeworks of simple files. Du-ring the 17th century, as a con-sequence of its little quantity, theframework is taken away and thesacristy is built. During the 18thcentury, and especially during thesecond half, because of its eco-nomic improvement and theresulting increase of the popu-lation, the archbishopric of Gra-nada designs a plan of visits tothe different parishes and tem-ples to specify their situation andestablish the works and the nece-ssary improvements on each case.In the visit carried out between1754 and 1755, it is stated the

parish of Otivar lacks an altarpiece.In 1780 the construction of a pul-pit and the gilding of the altarpieceis ordered.

In the middle of the 19th cen-tury, MADOZ, in his description ofthe place, declares that the pa-rochial church is dedicated to theVirgin of the Concepcion, whichcontradicts the traditional andactual dedication of the templededicated to San Jose. He alsoadds that ... is not joined to the Geteand together with it the cemetery issituated and a ¼ league to the west,an oratory dedicated to San Francisco(in Cazulas).

Nowadays it has seven lateralniches and a wooden mayor al-tar. On the altar, donated throughfather Don JAVIER ALAMINOS in1986, there are images of San Jo-se, Inmacualda Concepcion and

Altar of the San Jose Church.

•14•

a Christ. The lateral sculptures arereproductions of the ones des-troyed during the Civil War. Thechorus is situated at the entranceand is made of wood with sculp-ted bases.

Hydroelectric stationAt the beginning of the 19thcentury the regulation process andthe town legal organization be-gins. As the century moves for-wards, public works are done, es-pecially the ones related to the useof the water resources. In just thisway and as the industrializationprocess is extended through Spain,it is obvious the need to generateelectric energy, for the consum-ption of the new productive wea-ve and for domestic use.

At the end of the 19th cen-tury and the beginning of the20th, proliferate in the region andespecially on the high course of

the rio Verde, the constructionof small hydroelectric powerstations. There were small installa-tions, sometimes private whichmade good use of the nearby wa-ter courses or dams. The energyconsumption covered only theproximities and the environmentof the installations. This situationwas kept until the 1970s, whenthe Spanish economy improvesand the traditional ways electricenergy supplies tend to disappear.

There are at least three sta-tions known with these characte-ristics in Otivar, two of them un-productive and abandoned no-wadays, and a third which is stillworking. The first one, PuenteHondera, is situated on the highcourse of the bank of the rioVerde, near the Palacete de Ca-zulas and was ordered to bebuilt by the Marquess of Cazulas.The second was the Puente

The old hydroelectric power station of the Puente Hondera.

•15•

Altera, also situated on the highstretch of the rio Verde and notvery far from the other one, itstopped working in 1966. We onlykeep the ruins of its installations.

The third one, the FábricaLuz, still working, has a powerof 1.8 MW. It is supplied througha channel which makes good useof the reservoir created by a dikesituated next to the Junta de losRíos (joining of Topera and Cho-rrera rivers).

The boilers (caleras)The process of obtaining the lime(cal ) played an important role inthe way of life of a few decadesago. Since faroff times the limewas used to build and as decorativeor covering the walls or interiorelements. Not very long ago, it wastraditional to bleach (encalar) or whi-tewash (blanquear) the walls orinteriors of the buildings. Theproduction and consumption ofthe lime was so important, thatit was strange the town whichdid not have in its area one orseveral limestone quarries. Theywere situated in places near themountains to facilitate the supplyof wood for the firing oven.The production process of a loa-ded oven could last several days,always depending on the dimen-sions of it. During this time the li-mestone quarries (calaleros), had totake turns to keep the temperatureof the oven around 1000 º C in aconstant way. The resulting limewas used as building material, if

it was black, and to bleach thewalls or interiors, if it was white.The mule drivers (arrieros) were theones in charge of distributing it.

In the town of Otivar thereis proof of the canon which, forexample, the limestone quarrierspayed to the Marquess of Cazu-las, always depending on the ca-pacity of production of the li-mestone quarry. In the places of

Ruins of the hydroelectric power station ofPuente Altera. Fabrica Luz and Bolier.

•16•

La Campiñuela and La Molinetathere are some leftovers kept ofwhich nowadays integrate aninteresting and signpostedtrekking route.

The threshing floorsAgriculture is the traditional acti-vity of the people from Otivar(otiveños), but the mechanizationand the new technologies havetransformed it a lot. Not so longago, the manual work and thehelp of animals were the waysto make the different agriculturaltasks. The threhing floors (eras) area clear example of this traditionalagriculture: open, flat and, some-times paved places, where the ripegrains are threshed. Normally, theywere situated on elevated placesand exposed to the soft action ofthe winds. They searched in itsdesign for a light slope to favourthe currents of rain water. From

June, they rea-ped the fieldsof cereals andpulses. After gatheringthe harvest in bigbunches or sheaves (gavillas), theywere loaded onto mules orbeasts to take them to the thre-shing floor. It was then when, inthis order, the haystacks (parva),the threshing (trilla), the throwing(aventeo) and, finally, the storagewas carried out. In Otivar is well-known the threshing floor situa-ted next to the resting area in thezone of the La Molineta andLa Campiñuela.

Mills and factoriesThe grinding to obtain flour oroil was carried out in severalmills, which splashes the oro-graphy of the place. In the middleof the 19th century, two flourmills and four oil mills existed in

Cazulas´s old olive-oil mill (almazara). It was closed in the middle of the 20th century.

•17•

the town. The oil was one of theproducts of the area to be ex-ported, together with the wineand the figs. In general, and takinginto account that in the period ofits apogee there was no electricenergy, the common thing wasthe hydraulic mills were therebecause of the many waterresources of the place. The useof the mills depended on theproperty being public or private.The communal mills belonged toa village and were used accordingto a draw to award the dates ofuse. The private ones worked ascommercial exploitation, and forthat, they received a measure ofgrain called maquila. There werealso private mills belonging tonobles, to big owners or to thechurch, that, basically, were usedto grind the harvest of its ownersand in some cases they accepteda particular grinding for the pay-

ment of the corresponding ca-non or maquila. Generally the millsof the area have a cover of twowaters, with tiles and walls withholes. The molino de la Cuesta(mill) is situated on the way tothe rio Verde, some 200 metresfrom the urban area. It is in ruins,it has little dimensions and wallswithholes. It preserves its originand stone millstone conglome-rated as well as many compart-ments in the courtyard. Withouta adjoining house, it had only onewater entrance.

The Molino Quintana, alsodedicated to grind grain, is sometwo kilometres, in the area of therio Verde where it obtains waterfor its working.

Finally the mill or factory ofNuestra Señora del Carmen, isone of the few olive-oil mills inthe area still active.

The Molino Quintana (mill)

•18•

Old containers for thestorage of oils • Tunnelof La Cabra (up)

LeadsmeltingThe first mi-ners exploi-tation re-sources ofthe region da-tes back to pre-historic times. InOtivar, the first writtennews about the mining industrycan be found in the GEOGRAPHIC

DICTIONARY of TOMAS LOPEZ atthe end of the 18th century. Thispiece of work is situated in thefarmhouse of Turillas and in thecountry house of Cazulas, themines and lead factory next tothe banks of the rio Verde andthe path real to Granada. PASCUAL

MADOZ, in the middle of the 19thcentury, says referring to the townproduction: there are 24 lead mi-nes, only one ver y abundant inproduction, because the rest are notworking during the day. Without adoubt, it had to deal with anactivity of certain importance inthe area in certain historic pe-

riods. Thep r o p e r t yof the se-veral seamscorrespon-

ded to theMarquis of Ca-

zulas, who awar-ded the rights for its

exploitation to companieswhich contracted the peoplefrom that place for the severaltasks. The men were in charge ofgrinding and extracting the mine-ral. The women, of cleaning it.

The exploitation area wasknown as Mina Rica (mine) andsurrounding small towns occu-pied by the miners and emplo-yees of the lead smelting wereinstalled which could be nameddel Escarcimiento of the Tajo Ol-millo (ravine). From here the mi-neral was taken to Almuñecar forits later distribution by boat.

The washhouseSituated in the Plaza del Carmen(square), in the northern part of

•19•

the urban area, it is rectangular andhas a cover of two waters. Thesinks receive the water from a cen-tral pillar of great dimensions. Thewater could be used since themiddle of the 19th century. Theenclave where it is situated, nextto a square of impressive viewson the course of the rio Verde,conferred a singular importanceto the whole group.

Tunnel of La CabraAfter the civil conflict, around the1950s, probably with the fundsof the denominated “Plan of thedevastated regions”, they built theroad which connects Otivar andthe region of the rio Verde tothe interior of the province andwhich is traditionally known ascarretera de La Cabra. Its routedeserves a special mention aboutthe tunnel which crowns the har-bour, after a long and sinuosity

climb. The tunnel was the symbolof the end of the traditionalisolation of the region.

Fabrica Sierra FactoryA great part of the town is be-tween the gullies of Cazulas andAlmijara. Traditionally occupiedby wide areas of forest in whichpines, tree strawberries, gall oaksand carob trees dominate. Thegreat forest richness, favoured animportant wood activity. Thepine forest belonged to the Mar-quis of Cazulas who auctionedannually the acquisition of thecutting of twelve thousand pines.Fábrica Sierra (factory), also

The Fabrica Sierra (factory saw) • Built at the end of the 19th century

•20•

property of the Marquess, paidfor kilos transported. The changein the agricultural uses caused bythe plantations of subtropicalplants and the loss caused in thevegetal cover after many fireswhich have devastated the regionin the last few years have broughtdeep changes to the landscape.

The crossesCruz de Don Paco (cross). Builtin 1917 by assignment of theMarquess of Cazulas in tributeto her father, FRANCISCO CASTRO

assassinated in that place. It issituated next to the Fáabrica Sie-rra, on the farm of Cazulas.

Cruz de Caracoles.Built in 1933 by assig-nment of a family fromOtivar in tribute to theirfather, died in that place.

It is situated on the farm ofCazulas, in the cuesta del

Collao Reor (slope).

The FountainsFuente del Barrio Bajo. Situa-ted in Alcalde Caridad avenue.The pillar was built in 1948 tomark the building of the carre-tera de La Cabra. It is made ofstone and links directly with theexisting spring.

Fuente de la Vibora (foun-tain of the Viper). A famous springwhere nearly everybody from themountain went on a pilgrimage toenjoy its cold water. It is situatedon the carretera de La Cabra, itspillar was also built to mark thebuilding of the road.

The Cruz de Don Paco (cross)

•21•

L

que

The Paradise of adventure

overs of strong emotions have reason to celebratethe intricate Paradise of the Otivar orography. Of

great prestige in all Andalucia it is the descent from thebarranco de las Chorreras (gully) to the Junta de los Ríos.But they also organize guided excursions in a Jeepthrough the Natural Park of La Almijara, to visit the mostisolated and almost inaccessible places.

The Great GullyThe descent of the rio Verde riveris one of the most well-known inAndalucia for keeping a constantcaudal of water the whole year. Itis a true natural aquatic park,although it demands a considera-ble physical effort. It is also one ofthe most biodiversity zones in thesouthwest of the Iberian peninsula.

They advise extreme precautionsin order not to damage the for-mations of travertines on theBanks besides where abundantRiverside vegetation exists. It is re-commended to walk as little aspossible on the gravels of littledepth, where a rich and variedfauna live. The rio Verde is a Ca-

Waterfall of Puente de Hierro

•22•

La Almijara

nyon of medium difficulty, suita-ble for people with experience inmountain activities such as clim-bing, rappel or speleology. De-pending on the route you choose,you can do several rappels thatin some cases can be changed fora dive into the numerous pools.Some slides and small jumps ma-ke the route very enjoyable. Someprofessional offers have esta-blished some alternative routes:

• From fuente de las Ca-brerizas (fountain)-cascada Do-ble (cascade) you can enjoy themost sporting and vertical part ofthe gully. It has the inconvenienceof having to go on foot (an hour´swalk along a very steep path), untilthe beginning of the route.

• The descent of the Junta delos Ríos by car is a shorter journey,very enjoyable and without

complications, walking after-wards along the path to the cas-cada Doble and descending inthree hours this last stretch, withtwo rappels and the possibility ofjumps into pools of cold andcrystal-clear water.

• The complete descent of thegully starts at the fuente de LasCabrerizas and it is indicated onlyfor experienced sportsmen. It isalso required to leave vehicles atthe beginning and end of the route.

Jeep and trekkingNo less interesting are theguided excursions and theroutes by Jeep through the Na-tural Park organized by AL-MIJARA ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDES

(ALMIJARA GUIAS DE LA NATU-RALEZA), the first company with

One of the many natural poolsin the descent to the Junta de los Ríos.

•23•

these characteristics which are inthis town. The offer includesroutes in Jeeps and combined in-terpretative trekking. The activitiesare for groups of no less thanfour people and include a localguide and food. The routes showyou the most excellent natural pla-ce, many of them being com-plicated to reach on foot, such aspico Lopera (peak), cerro delSol (hill), cueva Colica (cave), LasCabrerizas, barranco de la Cor-ta (gully), Piedra del Rayo (stoneof the bolt), El Cañuelo or ca-ñón de rio Verde (canyon).Besides, ALMIJARA ENVIRONMEN-TAL offer the groups of gulliestransport service and pick upfrom the beginning to the endof the route.

More adventureThe climate conditions and thevaried scenery of the town, cro-ssed by hundreds of horseshoepaths, convert it into an idealscene for practising other acti-vities carried out by associationsor companies in the hobby sec-tion: paragliding, hang gliding,mountain bike, espeleology, hor-se excursions or visits of severaldays on the mountain.

•24•

T

Rural tourism,the alternative

aking into account the altitude and the orographyof the land, Otivar is also unique for its subtro-

pical cultivation; it is supposed to be almost 90% of thecultivated surface of the town. It is a reality that allows thestarting of tourist projects, both public and private, boundto the farming challenges.

Guided farming excursions, visitsto the fruit markets, accommo-dations that include work in thecountry, culinary tasting of pro-ducts coming from subtropicalareas, experimental farms for thestudy of the transformation ofproducts, documentaries, or thecreation of a museum centre ofinterpretation of subtropical cul-tivation, are some of the ruraltourism offers that are plannedfor the future of thetown.

Custard Apple tree,guarantee of originSpain is the first world producerof custard apple and the onlyEuropean country where it iscultivated (95% in Granada andthe rest in Malaga).

Although the cultivated sur-face of the custard Apple (chiri-moya) has been kept stable, theannual production has passed, inonly ten years, from 30 thousand

to 16 thousand tons. In or-der to overcome the ten-

dency they have createdexperimental farms

to look for newtechniques for the

Remains of olive-oilmill (almazara) in therural houseLa Molineta

•25•

management of plantations, andimprove the quality of the pro-duct and the volume of produc-tion per hectare. The custardApple occupies the seventh pla-ce in the fruit sales ranking inSpain. In Madrid and Andalucia80% is consumed. Outside Spainthey only commercialize 2000tons for England, Netherlands,Germany, Portugal and France.They are trying to open newmarkets in Sweden and Ireland.

To improve the custard Applecommercialization they havecreated the guarantee of originCustard Apple from the TropicalCoast of Granada-Malaga whichsince the year 2002, and under thecommon factor of Anona, it isbeing introduced into national andinternational markets.

AvocadoSpain is the biggest avocado (agua-cate) producer in the EU althoughonly the second supplier in theEuropean market (a 15% of themarket maintenance against the30% in South Africa). The culti-vated surface on the coast hasgrown although the production hasbeen kept around 20,000 tons.From the three species that arecultivated, the “hass” variety (wrin-kled or arrugada) occupies 90% ofthe cultivations. Only 20% of theproduction is consumed in Spain.The most important importers, inorder, depending on the volumeof the orders, are: France, Englandand Germany.

Loquats • Artificial Polinización •Pomegranate (granadas) • Avocado.

•26•

Loquat, the conquestof new marketsSpain is the first European pro-ducer of loquats (nispola). 25% iscollected on the Tropical Coast,where Otivar is the mayor pro-ducer. The Loquat Party (TheNispola Day) that has been cele-brated since 1999 in the specta-cular Viewpoint of Rio Verde,deserves a special mention andincludes prizes for the quality andinnovation, recipe and photographcompetitions, popular meals andthe handing over of the Loquatof Gold (Nispola of Gold).

The variety “Golden Nu-gget” is the most cultivated onthe coast of Granada. Only 10% of the product is commer-cialized in Spain. On the otherhand, in European countries likeItaly and Portugal it is a greatsuccess. In the last few years it hasalso been exported to USA andCanada. To improve the productthey are introducing new culti-vation varieties, changing theharvest methods and studyingmore adequate packaging. They

also want to create transfor-mation industries to convert thefresh fruit into juice, jam or liqueur.

The production processand ‘‘las corridas’’The process that is described isthe one carried out in the mayorpart of the markets, where theauction of the fruit also takes pla-ce by the traditional method ofthe corridas: 1. HARVEST: the pro-ducts pass through the insta-llations a few hours after beingharvested. 2. RECEPTION: each en-try is identified by the farm or thefarmer. 3. DESTRIO: the fruitwithout the demanded quality le-vel is rejected. 4. WEIGHTING: thecustard Apple and the avocadoare placed on the scales. The loquatand the mango, the more delicatefruits, the weighing and the pa-cking is manual. 5. PACKING andLABELLING: they pass through thecorresponding compartments tobe packed and labelled dependingon the weight. 6. LOADING: theproducts leave for their destina-tion the same day of entry.

Packing of loquats in a warehouse («corridas»)

•27•

L

The Natural Park

hese mountains ranges represent animpressionable mountain mass situated as a

geographical barrier between Malaga and Granada.The Natural Park of Tejeda, La Almijara y Alhama wascreated in 1999, in which the town of Otivar is included.

With the entrance of these moun-tains into the Range of ProtectedNatural Spaces of Andalucia anold debt with these was paid off,inexplicably forgotten until then,despite its natural historic andartistic values beat the ones thatcan be found in many other pro-tected spaces.

The Natural Park is an im-pressionable mass mountain si-tuated as a geographical barrierbetween Malaga and Granada.With an extension of 40,600

hectares, the Park covers a greatpart of the mass mountain thatgoes from río Puente de Pie-dra (river) in Alcaucin (Malaga),to the carretera de La Cabra inOtivar (Granada). A continuousalignment of rocky escarpmentrepresents the most prominentheight of the southern geographyto the Portuguese coast.

With its 2068 metres altitude,the pico Maroma (peak) doesnot have a rival, being the domi-nant watchtower towards the

Cerro Jaloche (hill).

•28•

Los Prados de Lopera • Viewpoint of La Cabra

west with spectacular views onboth shores of the Mediterranean.

The name of Tejeda comesfrom the elevated number ofyears that, in other times, stockedthe mountain range.

Almijara comes from the ara-bic name Almijar, that means“drain”, possibly in allusion tothe speed which the rain waterdrains to the sea or also to thedistortion of the sierra de LaAlmijara, due to the abundanceof these structures, named paseros(ways), on the rural buildingswhich were used mainly to dryfigs and gra-pes. At firstsight, thesemountainskeep muchsimilarity tothe moun-tains of thenorth, espe-cially to the

Picos de Europa Its proximityto the sea, its similar heights likea constant come and go of sharpcrests and deep gullies areresponsible for such analogy.

Its White calcareous rocks andincluding some other wild watercourses that falls indomitable, ina hurried race to arrive at thepeaceful prairies of Granada orthe Mediterranean coast, makethis landscape a paradise up untilnow forgotten of a clear singu-larity in the joining of the An-dalucian territory. Ever since, theyhave been mountains full of his-

tory and le-gends aboutrebellions,smuggling,p o a c h i n gand resis-tance to theestablishedorder thatuntil not

•29•

Poyos del Pescao

many years ago circulated by muleor from mouth to mouth gettingthrough limited harbours whichcommunicated both slopes.

There have been rough terri-tories, where life was rather a sur-vival at the cost of depleted vine-yards by the phylloxera, erodedgrounds by the heavy rains in whicholive trees, almond trees and sownfields generated low incomes. Theesparto of its rocky hill-sides, the resin of theupright pine trees, thecoal of the wood andfirewood of trees or bu-shes and even the snowof the heights in favou-rable years, together withthe cattle use of the hillsand the hunting, contri-buted to the sustenanceof its population.

If the natural valueof the Park is found inthe rocky places and

gullies, in its villages it contains afantastic historical inheritancewith a Morisco and Mudejarscent, with brilliant lime facadesand twisted arches, steps and to-wers of Mozarabic brick.

In the Park there can be foundquartzites, schists and gneises ofan old age (more than 500 millionyears). Nevertheless, the onesfrom Triasic stand out, originated

some 300 million yearsin antique sea depths.The dolomite marblesare the most repre-sentative element, re-presenting, togetherwith the neighbouringmountain ranges ofGranada and Alme-ria, the main massmountain of thesecharacteristics in Spain.The morphology isdominated by steephill-sides, Sharp crests

•30•

and deep gullies. The sands hardlyretain the rain water, which, to-gether with certain mineralcomponents, like magnesium,generates a vegetal landscape like-wise singular in which many rareor endemic species abound.

FloraThe flora is another of its rele-vant values. The mineral cover,the proximity of the sea and theorientation of the mass mountaingenerates a great diversity in thevegetation.

The pine forests are domi-nant, sitting on the white sandswhich generate the decom-position of the marbles. So, thedevelopment of the kermesaleppo pine, scots pine, pinekernel and even, the famouspine, coming from experimen-tal repopulations in other times.

Other habitual plantas: Euro-pean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis),buckthorn (Maytenus senegalensis),spurge olive (Cneorum tricoccum) ordragnet (Buxus balearica), charac-teristic from the coastal pro-ximities, to the whitebeam (Sor-bus aria), pyrinean oak (Quercus

Oleander

Dragnet • Fennels • Centaurium • Rosemary

•31•

pyrenaica), which live in high andshady places together with thepyorrheas.

FaunaThe importance of its fauna lieson the extension of the massmountain, which connect themountain ranges from Malaga toSierra Nevada, the Betic Moun-tains, El Campo de Gibraltarand East of the Peninsula.

A clear example of this corri-dor effect, has been the recentcolonization of the territory onthe part of the common squi-rrel, settling in less than three yearsfrom one extreme to the otherin these ranges.

In this small world of treesand rocky places, its bird lifestands out. The presence of thegreat eagles is remarkable (goldeneagle, bonelli´s eagle, bootedeagle or short-toed eagle),migratory falcon and goshawk,

nightjars, forestall birds like thepeaks and the mountain birds,emphasizing the wheatears(black, grey and blonde whea-tears), the rock thrush and theblue rock thrush or the alpineaccentor.

•32•

Without a doubt, the mostwell-known animal in theseranges is the mountain goat (ca-bra montés). This endemism of theIberian fauna, which was in othertimes on the border of extinc-tion, today is on the increase.

The cynegetics regulation ofthis species under the figure ofthe Natural Reserve of Hunting

allowed the existing exiguouspopulation at the beginning, hasmultiplied by ten over a periodof 25 years, with 1500 animalsonly in the mass mountain slopeof Malaga. In this way, sierras deCazulas, Tejeda y La Almijaraare kept like one of the mostimportant places in Spain for thisspecies

Male mountain goat • The range from the Quemao del Grajo • Migratory falcon

•33•

E

NaturalItinerary

he huge and wealthynatural and geogra-

phic scenery of the townturns it into a unique land-scape for trekking. Its pathsallow you to get to know thevariety of the subtropicalcultivation, the heterodoxy ofthe species of the timber-yielding mountain, the innu-merable aromatic andmedicinal plants and thesign of economic activitiesalready abandoned.

Río Verde river-OtivarDURATION: 7 hours • DISTANCE: 16 kilo-metres • DIFFICULTY: médium-high • FLO-RA: pine forest, Mediterraneanvegetation and Riverside vegetation •FAUNA: Mountain goat • OBSERVATION: thetrip has got streches wich go path andforestal track, some parts of the pathhave got loose material and are steep.There are no signs. Water, in fuentede Las Cabrerizas.

The route starts on the kilometre31.5 on the carretera de La Ca-bra. The path descends smoothlyuntil arriving at a natural view-point where you can see an ama-zing view of the barranco de losChortales (gully), the cerro Pes-cadores (to the right), the ba-rranco del Pito and of the ce-rro del Gitano (to the left). After

a Sharp descent the Chorrera delas Cabrerizas (waterfall), alsoknown as the Chorrera de losArboles Petrificados (the Petri-fied Trees waterfall) appearsmajestically, a waterfall on lime-stone Stone with a heavenly natu-ral pond.The path continues alongthe right side of the gully untilcrossing it and arriving to wherethe lane cuts the path, 100 metresfrom the fuente de las Cabre-rizas. Retaking the path along theleft side of the gully, a disused oldlane opens the way to the Cho-rreras de la Rambla Funes andto the barranco de los Ma-droñales. After crossing the riveronce more, a steep climb startsalong the east face of the cerrodel Gitano (hill) until arriving at

•34•

the cañada de la Adelfa (path).You then have to take a small pathon the left, partially hidden amongthe vegetation, before starting a zig-zag descent to the river, where youfind the cueva de los Pazirrales(cave). You descend crossing fromside to side of the river by meansof several hanging bridges, one ofwhich goes along until the famousJunta de los Ríos where the riode las Chorreras and the río To-pera join, giving way to the rioVerde. After crossing the Joining,

the descending path goes along theright side of the river. Along thisstretch the cañada de los Encan-tos and the tajo de los Halco-nes (ravine) are orogra-phicallyoutstanding. The descent thenarrives to the paraje del Sombre-ro (place), a narrow pass oflimestone landscape shaped by thewater. Some 250 metres furtheralong there is a metal bridge whichcrosses the rio Verde. Then anascent begins which allows thecontemplation of the cerro de lasGraillas, the Poyos del Agua andthe cerro Jaloche, at the end. Whenyou arrive at the Quemado delGrajo (place), you take the mainlane leaving successively to one sidethe loma del Pasero (hill) and thebarranco de la Corta, beforelinking up with the carretera de LaCabra on the 42.1 kilometre, fiveminutes from Otivar.

Chorrera de la rambla de Funes (right) • The rio Chorreras

•35•

Otivar- Junta de los RiosDURATION: five hours • DIFFICULTY: low •LENGTH: 14 kilometres • OBSERVATIONS: thewhole route goes along a forestal road,except the end which is a path. Thereare no signs • LANDSCAPE VALUES:wonderful views of the Natural Park ofthe sierras de Tejeda, La Almijara yandAlhama mountain ranges • FLORA: pineforest, Mediterranean vegetation andRiverside vegetation.

This route starts where the otherone ends, a kilometre from thecrossroads pointing out the Pa-lacete de Cazulas. When lea-ving the road you come to the laneof the barranco de la Corta andstart a descent which quicklyreaches the loma del Pasero,where you carry on until arrive atthe Encina del Cruce delPasero (crossroad) on the right.Turn left, and continue along themain lane. After abandoning thecultivated area of olive trees andalmond trees, you find the fuen-te de Tejada, an area of lowmountain which precedes the

Quemado del Grajo, dominatedagain by the cultivation of olivetrees. From there, you continuealong the main lane, withoutabandoning it at any time until youarrive at the amazing Tajo Hor-nillo. Then a Sharp and sinuousdescent starts, that continues to theend of the valley. From left to right,the cerro de las Graillas , thePoyos del Agua and the cerro

The Tajo Hornillo • Cerro Gitano (down)

•36•

Jaloche. In this last one, you findthe viewpoint which from the topof the carretera de La Cabraoffers a unique perspective of thevalley of the rio Verde. Taking theleft lane, parallel to the river, whichends at the hydroelectric powerstation of the Puente Honde-ra, built by the Marquess ofCazulas, and nowadays abando-ned. Some 250 metres an ironbridge crosses the rio Verde, pre-lude of a narrow pass of lime-stone paths capriciously shaped bythe water, emphasizing the para-je del Sombrero among them.Then, and between pines andpoplars, the second hydroelectricpower station appears, also inruins, and out of order since the1960s. On the right side of theroute, the canalization which takes

the water to the Fabrica Luz,present hydro-electric powerstation of Cazulas flows. Later on,and successively, you arrive at thecañada de los Encantos , thetajo de los Halcones and theloma del Polvorin. Wonderful

Joint of the Rivers • Poyos del agua (up)

•37•

introductions before arriving atthe joining of the rio Topera (left)and rio Chorreras (right) whichmake up the rio Verde. Here youfind the dike and the collecting ofwater for the canal of thehydroelectric power station. Some100 metres from the beginning ofthe rio Chorreras you cross ahanging bridge, before climbingto a viewpoint, end of the route.

Otivar-Palacetede CazulasDURATION: One hour. DIFFICULTY: Low.LENGTH: Four kilometres. OBSERVATIONS:Especially recommendable in spring.From the Era, descending alongthe calle Real street, until linkingwith the banks of the rio Verde.A delicious walk along a mea-dow gained to the mountain withearth dams dominated by custard

apple trees. Arriving at the banks,crossing the metallic bridge whichcrosses the río Lentegi. To theright you get the climbing lane ofland. Some 200 metres youchoose the right lane at a junction.

After bordering a countryhouse, you get a diversion to the

The village of Cazulas

The Puente de Hierro (bridge), prelude tothe narrow limy pass capriciously formedby the water and the wind

•38•

left. Some 400 metres later youget a new diversion to the right.Some 200 metres another diver-sion to the left. A bridge crossesa gully where you find a fountainand a eucalyptus. You imme-diately arrive at the hydroelectricchannel piping where there aresome seats for viewing. The rou-te continues with the horizondominated by the Palacete deCazulas, hanging magically fromone extreme of the gully whichembraces it.

Climbing to theCerro LoperaDURATION: Two hours. DIFFICULTY: Medium.DISTANCE: 4.3 Kilometres. OBSERVATIONS:Starting altitude: 1260 metres.Topaltitude: 1487 metres.

The route starts on the kilometre28,500 of the carretera de La Ca-bra road, next to the restaurantLos Prados. From the Los Pra-dos de Lopera you take a lanewhich descends until the gully,some 400 metres. From here youclimb leaving the artificial re-servoir to the left. The countryhouses of the farm of Los Pra-dos del Pinar are left behind toyour right. Now flat land withoutany trees appears until arriving at

Pico Lopera (up) • Dieer on Los Prados de Lopera

•39•

a river bed with an artificialreservoir bigger than the pre-vious one. You carry on downthe lane on your right whichsurrounds the reservoir. Afterwalking through a leafy grove,the path climbs to a junction. Youtake the path to your right whichtakes you up to the top.

Circuit Moratilla-OtivarDURATION: Two hours. DIFFICULTY: Médium.LENGTH: Five kilometres.

Circuit of three routes beginningand ending at the proximities ofOtivar. During the route youappreciate the variety of subtro-

pical cultivation, the heterodoxyof the species of the timber-yielding mountain and the innu-merable aromatic and medicinalplants (rosemary, thyme,...).

FIRST STRETCH: MORATILLA-MALA-GUEÑA • DURATION: One hour •DIFFICULTY: Low • LENGTH: Twokilometres •

This first part of the circuit be-gins at the Paraje de la Mo-ratilla (place). The route gives outto the wonderful landscape of thevalley of the rio Verde, with thetown of Lentegi at the top, as awatchtower, and the urban heartof Jete, in the back ground. In LaMalagueña, ending of this firststretch, the towns of Otivar, Jeteand Lentegi converge.

SECOND STRETCH: MALAGUEÑA-CUTAR-MOLINETA • DURATION: 30minutes • DIFFICULTY: Low • LENGTH:1.5 kilometres •

Along the path to the left thesecond stretch of this route con-tinues which takes you to Cutar,

Chapel of Bodijar

•40•

Paraje de La Malagueña • Jete (down)

La Molineta and the town ofLetengi (on the right the route ofBodijar-Itrabo begins, that takesto the chapel of Bodijar in thetown of Itrabo). The stretch endsin the paraje de la Molineta,where the path divides: to theright, Lentegi; to the left, Otívar.

This stretch was an old roadin the shape of a horseshoe, whichwas used as a communication viathe towns of Itrabo, Molvizar andMotril, especially used by theseasonal workers who went tothe recollection (zafra) of thesugar cane to Motril.

THIRD STRETCH: MOLINETA-OTIVAR •TIME: 30 minutes • DIFFICULTY: Low •LENGTH: 1.5 kilometres •

It descends to the town swimmingpool of Otivar. It is advisable tomake a stop at the resting area. Builtnext to an old era, from there youcan enjoy an excellent view ofOtivar. Some 500 metres you findthe ruins of an old limestone qua-rry (calera) used to obtain the limewith the firing of the calcareousstones. Lime (cal) was used tobuild and bleach walls. During thecalcinations of the stones theworkers should keep the tem-perature of the limestone quarryup to a thousand degrees. Thestones were selected and put awayin containers to protect them fromthe wind to avoid the carbonation.The lime was put out by wetting itwith half its weight in water. Thishydration provokes the quickdisintegration of the stones and astrong emission of heat. The dustwhich is obtained is the put outlime or calcium hydroxide.

•41•

From top to botton: Blackpudding, Fennel stews

and lamb

A

Between fennelsand slaughters

s a good mountain town,its gastronomy is a friend

of spoons, stews (pucheros),well seasoned meats and slaugh-ters, fennel stew, calf (Choto), Blackpudding (morcilla), spicy porksausage (longaniza), the varied solutionsof the tropical fruits and the stimulated honey, are a prize forthe most demanding palate, thought to recuperate thewearing out of the rural tasks and the cold winds which slidedown from the heights.

Traditional dishesFennel stew (puchero de hinojos)—.INGREDIENTS: beans,pork back-bone, oil,fennels, rice and salt.PREPARATION: put thebeans, the fat and thepork back-boneinto a pot to boil.When the beansare boiled add theoil, and, when itstarts to boil again,put the fennels and therest of the herbs. Then, addthe rice.

Calf (choto).— INGREDIENTS: calf,wine, garlic, oil, potatoes, oregano,

grinded pepper andsalt. PREPARATION:you fry the meatwith the wine, the

garlic and the oil.The potatoes,fried apart, areadded to themeat togetherwith a seasoning

made with ore-gano, garlic, grinded

pepper and wine.

Flour breadcrumbs (migas deharina).— INGREDIENTS: semolinaflour, oil, water, garlic and salt.Preparation: put the oil into afrying pan with the garlic, whenthey are fried add a pinch of flour

•42•

Crumbs • Ham (down)

and then water. When it boils addthe flour and do not stop stirringit until it breaks up.

Mountain stew (cazuela de la sie-rra).— INGREDIENTS: oil, tomato,onion, pepper, garlic, red sausageor cod, rice, saffron, water, po-tato and salt. PREPARATION: put adrop of oil into a frying pan,over a low heat. Chop tomato,onion, pepper and garlic and fryaltogether Also add the redsausage and the cod, which hasbeen previously roasted andshredded. Once it is fried, add therice and mix it with the saffron,then add the water, the potato andsalt. Leave it until it has all boiled.

BakingPaparaotes.— They are madewith the mixture left over fromthe fritters, adding two eggs andmilk. Make small balls from themixture and fry them, then coatthem in sugar and cinnamon.

Honey-coated pastry (pestiños).—INGREDIENTS: 1 kilo of flour, ¼of oil, a drop of anis, sesame,White wine and a pinch ofbicarbonate. PREPARATION: knead

all the ingredients with the Whitewine and, when the mixture iscompacted, make balls, stretchthem and form into a kind ofribbon, next, fry them. After, dipthem in syrup cook over the firewith sugar and a bit of lemon.

The tropical fruitsThe subtropical fruits have a greatprominence on the table. Someof them are especially suitable forsalads or accompaniment. Alsointeresting are the still shy attemptsof transformation into mousses,jams, liquors, ice-creams andcanned fruit.

The custard Apple (chirimoyo):The custard Apple is a tree origi-nating from the andean areaneighbouring between Ecuadorand Peru, where it grows toheights from 1400 to 2000 me-tres. Since historic times terra-cotta vases modelled in the formof the custard Apple fruit havebeen dug out of graves in Peru.Its introduction in the east wasvia Africa through the First Spa-nish Sailors. Nowadays it is culti-vated in nearly all the countries

•43•

Avocado Salad

with tropical cli-mate. The va-riety Fino deJete, occu-pies the 95%of the culti-vated surfacein the areas ofthe valley of rio Ver-de . This caste comes from a graftcarried out at the beginning ofthe 20th century by the farmersof the area, who were lookingto improve the quality of theproduct by increasing its sweet-ness. The fruit usually weighsaround 250 gr. And is cultivatedfrom mid September to the endof January.

The avocado (aguacate).— Origi-nated from Mexico, Colombiaand Venezuela. The first Spanishwho arrived in America baptizedthis fruit with the name of “pearof the indias”.

Nowadays the main produ-cers are Mexico, Brasil, USA,Australia, Israel; china, Kenia,South Africa and Spain. It is aperennial tree which can reach aheight of 30 metres. Each plantcan produce up to a million flo-wers although only the 0.15transform into fruit.

Va r i e t i e s :Hass: of a

rough skinand darkgreen co-lour when

the fruit isripe. HARVEST:

the last 3 monthsof the year and the first six.

Strong (fuerte): pear shape, thinskin and light green colour and apaler flesh than the hass variety.HARVEST: between October andFebruary. Bacon: oval fruit, of adark and very fine skin, and witha very smooth taste. HARVEST:September to November

Loquat (nispola).— Although itoriginated from the southeast ofChina, it arrived in Europe in the18th century from Japan as anornamental tree. It reaches aheight of 9 metres and has ashort trunk and a rounded top.In the 19th century its consum-ption started in the Medite-rranean. The intensive cultivationbegan at the end of the 1960sand the beginning of the 1970s.

Apart from applecustard, loquat andavocado, the cultivationof papaya, guava andkiwi are now common

•44•

TOWN HALLAvda. Alcalde Caridad, 26958.64.51.61958.64.50.01Fax. 958.64.50.01otivar@dipgra.es

POST OFFICEPlaza Constitución, s/n.

HEALTHCENTERCtra. Suspiro del Moro, s/n958.64.52.98

CHERMIST´SAvda. Alcalde Caridad, 16958.64.50.00

CAJA GRANADA (bank)Avda. Alcalde Caridad, 1958.64.50.56

CAJA RURAL (bank)Ctra. Suspiro del Moro, 17958.64.50.81

SAN JOSÉ churchPlaza Constitución, s/n958.64.50.79

SOCIEDADCOOPERATIVAAGRÍCOLA GANADERADE CÁZULASFinca de Cázulas680.493.632Fax. 958.64.50.58

NATURAL PARK OFALHAMA, TEJEDA YALMIJARA (information)Carretera, s/n

RRRRRestaurants

MESÓN-BAR MADERA«Acá Vicente Zamora»Ctra. Suspiro del Moro958.64.50.63www.acavicentezamora.esrestaurante@acavicenetezamora.es

RESTAURANTEBUENAVISTACtra. Suspiro del Moro958.64.50.82

RESTAURANTEEL CAPRICHOCarretera de Otívar, s/n958.64.50.75www.elcapricho-otivar.es

AAAAAccomodations

HOTEL PALACETEDE CÁZULAS

Small palace from the 15thCentury. You can rent itcompletly. It has twelve doublerooms withdecoration from the19th, swimming pool, tenniscourt, library, amusementarcade and a private chapel.Wonderfull gardens andviewpoints.Caserio de Cázulas, s/n958.64.40.36 Fax.958.64.40.48info@cazulas.comwww.cazulas.com

•45•

CASA RURALLA MOLINETA

An old olive-mill with itsstone wheels and its press.It has got fourteen hectaresof fruit trees and olive trees.It has four rooms,swimming pool and asolarium of forty m2. .The potable water comesfrom a mine.Paraje La Molineta, s/n660.261.633636.977.451xato27@hotmail.com

CASA RURALXENIA

Rustic house with garden.Panoramic views. Balcony.Ideal for two peopleFuente Alta, 9xeniavonpflug@gmx.de

CASA RURALLA PANORÁMICA

A country house with threerooms and views to thevalley and sea, withswimming pool. The place isdedicated to export andimport ecological products(Alor Eco SL).Campiñuela, 36-bajo609.167.621 • 958.64.53.45lapanoramica@hotmail.comalor.eco@wanadoo.eswww.oeko-line.de

CASAS RURALESALTOS DE CÚTAR

Two houses with four andthree rooms, with gardenand independent swimmingpool. Both houses withchimney. The big house hasgot solarium and cellar.609.716.569antonio@acavicentezamora.es

CASAS RURALFUENTE NEGRA

House with two floors,kitchen, bathroom, two living-rooms with chimney, three

•46•

rooms, beds for six-eightpeople.Patio de Cázulas18698 Otívar620.891.343cuentamelo65@gmail.com

FFFFFruit stores

FRUTAS GARSANCtra. Suspiro del Moro, 15958.64.42.08frutasgarsansl@hotmail.com

FRUTAS FAJARDOCtra. Suspiro del Moro,Km. 47958.64.40.92Fax. 958.64.40.84frutasfajardo@telefonica.net

CORRIDA DE FRUTASJ. Luis Fajardo AneasAvda. Alcalde CaridadTel/Fax: 958.64.50.32

NOVOFRUTCtra. Suspiro del Moro, 40958.64.51.29

OOOOOil / Honey

FABRICA DE ACEITENTRA. SRA. DELCARMENC/ Nueva, 22958.64.50.73

ATALAYA MIELMIELMIELMIELMIELGonzalo Aneas PretelCtra. Suspiro del Moro, 42958.64.51.43

LA ALMIJARA MIELA. Jerónimo FernándezCampiñuela, 37958.64.53.24

GGGGGuides and trips

ALMIJARALMIJARALMIJARALMIJARALMIJARAGUÍAS DE LANATURALEZACtra. Suspiro del Moro, 38958.64.40.87fajardogaitan@yahoo.es

COOPERATIVADE CÁZULASRutas guiadas a la Juntade Los Ríos.680.493.632Fax. 958.64.50.58

SSSSShopping

EL BAÚLCarretera del Suspirodel Moro, s/n958.64.50.80

PRESENTAEstación, 26958.64.40.02

TROPIMUEBLECuevas, s/n958.64.50.45Fax. 958.64.42.80tropimueble@hotmail.com

BBBBBuses timetable

• Otivar-GranadaAlsina Graells07:30 h.

• Granada-OtivarAlsina Graells17:30 h.

• Otivar-AlmuñecarAutobuses Fajardo08:00 h. • 16:20 h.

• Almuñecar-OtivarAutobuses Fajardo14:00 h./20:30 h.

•47•

OTÍVAR, EL PARAÍSO INTERIOR,ha sido editado por el Ayuntamiento de Motril y la Diputación de Granada

© Fotografías, EDUARDO CRUZ CASANOVA, NICOLAS PÉREZ PALMA

y AYUNTAMIENTO DE OTÍVAR

Traducción: SALVADOR SAN AGUSTÍN KNOWLES

Diseño y producción: FRANCISCO JAVIER PÉREZ PÉREZ y GRUPO BARATARIA

candelilla@inicia.esImpreso por IMPRENTA COMERCIAL

MotrilDep. Legal