This town is placed in the heart of the natural park of Sierra Nevada, in its Southern slope, near the Guadalfeo river. Its architecture is eminently from the Alpujarra, with steep and narrow streets, and houses with flat tile roofs. Due to its geographic situation, Almegíjar has remained calm and apart and enjoys an ideal temperature in summer, which is translated in excellent harvests of fruits, oil and almonds.
Located in an amphitheatre shape in the middle of the Cerro de la Corona, the best point to enjoy its typical alpujarra’s stamp, with plenty of tinaos and traditional chimneys, is from the called Tajo de la Cruz.
The village of Notáez belongs to this town, which conserves the authentic atmosphere described by Gerald Brenan in the pages of “To the south of Granada”. Here the cars cannot go inside the town centre to do not harm its beautiful and flowery gardens.
Almegíjar celebrates its religious celebrations from the 13th to the 15th of September in honour of Santo Cristo de la Salud, being the 14th the most important day. Also, its Easter celebrations stand out, when the saint patron participates in a parade and is transferred to the place of the Calvario, in the Tajo de la Cruz.
Almegíjar shares history with the rest of towns and villas of the Alpujarra. Its geographic isolation causes that we do not have news of it until the Arab period, when acquires importance thanks to the silk production. It was part of the Castilian Crown after the conquest of Granada and its population was harassed by the Christian authorities from the end of the XV century. In the middle of the XVI century it participates in the revolt of the moriscs against the Crown, under the leadership of Aben Humeya (of Christian name Fernando de Válor) until they were expelled, leaving the town very depopulated. Later it was repopulated with farmers coming from Galicia, Leon, Asturias and Castile.
The base of the diet consists on stews to bear the winter, jams, excellent sausages and other meat products derived from the pig as well as from the cultivated fields. There is not lack of sweets and desserts of morisc origin.
© Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada I Diputación de Granada
