History

Güevéjar history

Between hills of red earth planted with olive trees, Güevéjar symbolizes the resistance of a people to history and to the setbacks of nature. The instability of the land on which it was built caused the destruction of a large part of the houses, first in the 'Lisbon earthquake' of 1755 and later in the 'Arenas del Rey earthquake' which occurred on Christmas Day 1884. This last earthquake opened cracks of such dimension in the land that reconstruction of Güevéjar was no longer an option. This led to the transfer of the population to their current location; on much firmer and safer ground.

The remains of this ancient community are still visible at the base of the so-called Peña de Bartolo. Now, this municipality is located on the edge of the Sierra de la Yedra, oriented towards the Vega de Granada, and just 10 kilometers from the capital in an area that abounds with karst caves. The town is part of the Ruta del Califato, one of the paths of El Legado Andalusí that links the cities of Córdoba and Granada connecting its lands with neighbouring Jaén. Logically, the layout of the new town responds to the urban planning criteria prevailing at the end of the 19th century with rectilinear streets and perpendicular crossroads. Their centric point of reference is the Plaza de la Constitución, a large space with abundant trees and where the town hall and the parish church are located. History.

This territory has been populated since ancient times, as evidenced by the discovery of an arrowhead belonging to the VIII-VII centuries BC and a Roman stele from the 2nd century that is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Granada. Before the arrival of the Muslims, the town is believed to have been a place called Ubexar. In Nasrid times, Güevéjar is mentioned by Ibn al-Jatib as Wabasar.

In 1569 the town was almost deserted when its Moorish population rebelled against the pragmatics of Felipe II who was forcing the inhabitants to abandon Muslim beliefs and customs. It was repopulated from 1571. Gastronomy. The products of the Mediterranean triad –bread, wine and olive oil– are of remarkable quality in Güevéjar which is also justly famous for its homemade sausages: the slaughter of pigs is still carried out in private homes. Its main traditional dishes are spicy porridge, goat marinated in garlic sauce, lamb stew, and the typical ‘crumbs’ with locally grown melon. Among the pastry bread rolls, milk custard and borrachuelos stand out.