Laying on the foot of the Zahor hill and on the edge the cliffs of the Torrente river, Nigüelas is not only the highest town of the Lecrín Valley, 931 meters of altitude, but also the most mountainous. Its location constitutes a splendid viewpoint, from where practically all the region is controlled. The Zahor is only the first of a series of mountains that culminate in the 3,300 meters of altitude of the Cerro del Caballo, in whose top the Lanjarón and Nigüelas district link. Although there are many tracks that go from this town to Sierra Nevada, the most advisable is the one than follows the channel of the river until the place of Los Cahorros. This itinerary allows contemplating the rests of several water mills and crosses leafy pines forests.
Although there are not many known references about this place from the Muslim period, the few existing ones indicate that Nigüelas was a farmhouse. Its name comes from Niwalas, word that means watchtower or point of high watch. During the Islamic domination this town was part of the Padul Taha, being one of the neighbourhoods that bordered with the Lecrín Valley and the western gate of Sierra Nevada. After the Reconquista it maintained its peculiar agricultural character.
Nigüelas offers to the visitor a typical cuisine of the Alpujarra as they are the migas, the remojón, the sausages, the pots, the jams and the Moorish desserts, like twisted rolls, pestiños and fried milk. It celebrates the celebration of San Marcos with delicious hornazos.
© Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada I Diputación de Granada
