Galera

The mountain ranges of La Sagra, Castril, Cazorla and Baza, all of them official national parks, surround the district. The landscape is varied and includes fertile fields, watered by rivers and springs, and the arid and empty desert, full of remains of fossil and historical ruins of the past.

In the town centre you will find numerous cave dwellings with magnificent views. In addition, Galera has seven archaeological sites dating back to the Argaric period. The archaeological site of the Cerro del Real is important and interesting: here the Iberian-Roman city of Tútugi and its necropolis dating back to the 7^th- 3^rd centuries BC were found, as was the statue of the goddess Astarté, also known as the Goddess of Galera. You can also visit the sites of Castellón Alto y Villares de la Arquería, or the three watchtowers of Arab origin: Tarahal, Albarrani and Ozmín. Other places of interest are the Iglesia Parroquial de la Anunciación, built in the 16^th century, which is a national historic monument, or the Puente de Hierro from the early 20^th century.

This town was a human settlement back in the Copper Age. Later Iberian settlers founded the city of Tútugi here, which was then occupied by Romans and Visigoths. In Muslim times it was a town of great prominence as it laid the border between the kingdoms of Granada and Murcia. The Muslims built a defensive stronghold here called Gadera.

In the Middle Ages this area was already known as Galera, due to its peculiar shape that made it look like a boat. In 1230 it was conquered by the Archbishop of Toledo Jiménez de Rada, and only years later, in 1319, it was recovered by Ismail I. It was part of the Nasrid Kingdom until in 1488, when it was taken by the Catholic Monarchs, who later gave it to Enrique Enriquez. In 1570, during the uprising of the Moors, it was the site of major resistance against the Christian troops commanded by Juan de Austria. When the square was taken, all its inhabitants were executed; all men older than 12 years old were killed. By the end of the 16^th century it was repopulated by Christians from eastern Spain, Castilla and La Mancha.

The traditional recipes use the fresh crabmeat from the Río Galera. The Crespillos, Cordero segureño al horno (lamb), Andrajos and couscous are also typical dishes. The traditional cuisine also has a variety of pork meats including sausage, chorizo and salami. The wines of Galera are well known too: rosé, white and red wines are made from Garnacha, Gordal and Tintorera grapes and have a young and fruity flavour.