It is located in the south-western end of the Granada province, at the bottom of the Cázulas Mountain range of and the one of Almijara. In its district the Verde River is born, which flows through the valley that takes its name and that waters territories of this district, of Jete and Almuñécar. The undulations of the land, with steep ravines and strong slopes, gives place to a fascinating landscape that allows the practice of adventure sports like trekking and rafting. The Almijara Mountain range, along with those of Alhama and Tejeda, constitutes a natural park that has its Southern limit in the cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo, one of the best places of the Andalusian coast to practice the scuba diving.
The monuments are other of the attractions of this town. The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion and the Cazulas estate stand out. Another peculiarity of this settlement is that the town centre maintains its architectonic characteristics with little incidence of modern constructions.
The urban structure denotes its Arab origin, typical of the low Alpujarra and the inner towns of the Tropical Coast, with narrow and steep streets.
The origin of the town can be in the route of the fish that went from Almuñécar towards Granada. The present Venta Street was the one of the rest of the merchants and the Cargadero Street was by where they unloaded the merchandise carried by animals. It is believed that the Otívar word comes from the vasc language, like other Granada’s names like Otura.
In the olden days, the neighbours of Otívar dedicated themselves to works related with the mountainous areas that surround them, such as coal miners, carpenters, goatherds. Afterwards, the implantation of the subtropical cultivations began, and today they give work to most of the population. The rest work in the construction and the hotel industry as a complementary activity before the incipient rural tourism.
The more outstanding historical figure is the one of Don Juan Fernandez Cañas, “el tio caridad”. He was the famous mayor of Otívar, guerrilla soldier also known as “the colonel”, that he fought with the organized Napoleonic forces and that so famous became in the War of Independence.
In Otívar it can be enjoyed a variety of subtropical cultivations that are more and more integrated in the traditional diet of the town. The beekeeping is also very developed in the area. They add, to the classic honeys of ajedrea, thyme or rosemary, other types that surprise by their exotic flavour, like the one of medlar or avocado. The inlays are also part of the gastronomy of the place.
© Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada I Diputación de Granada
