Its district limits with the Hoya de Guadix and the province of Jaén. It was border between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms during a long time, historical past that its culture has absorbed and transferred filling of colour its celebrations and traditions.
Of those times, and as tourist attraction, its vast patrimony has remained. The parochial church of the Christ of the Expiration, the Great House, the Pillar and the Castellón Hill stand out.
The archaeological deposits found in the Castellón Hill demonstrate that this area was inhabited during the Copper Age. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information since the stage of the Argaric Bronze until the Muslim occupation in the XI century. In the Nasrid period it was border with the Christian territories, reason why a fortified castle was built for its defence, of which today there are not vestiges left. During years it suffered a hard harassment by the catholic troops and in 1486 the troops commanded by Don Fadrique de Toledo, the general and greater captain of Fernando the Catholic King, conquered the place. Two years later, the Catholic Kings gave the place to Don Alonso Venegas so he could be in charge of the reconstruction of the castle. And in 1490 it had to be fortified again by the count of Tendilla, after the King Boabdil declared the war to it. In 1609, Don Pedro de Granada y Venegas obtained the jurisdiction and alcabalas of Campotéjar.
The gastronomy of Campotéjar benefits from its olive groves and its oil tradition, which has given place to the celebration of an interesting international fair of the olive oil in this town. Among its dishes the ropa vieja, elaborated with the rests of the Spanish stew, the gachas, the migas of segador, trotter stew and the cake of carda (saladilla) stand out. Among the desserts, they have rocos, pestiños, borrachuelos and nochebuenos (oil bread and raisins).
© Patronato Provincial de Turismo de Granada I Diputación de Granada
