Albanchez de Mágina

Albanchez de Mágina is a little town that belongs to the region of Sierra Mágina, located in the North-western slope of its tops, which takes up the central part of it. A large area of its town, and the urban area itself, are included inside the Natural Park Sierra Mágina, with many natural charms. We can also emphasize the local colour of its houses and streets. The main economic activity is the one that comes from the single-crop farming of the olive grove and from the oil mill, although the sheep has a great importance.

Next to the village we can find the vegetable gardens that use the abundant springs for the irrigation, just like to move flour mills, a heritage of the medieval past whose technology has not developed much.

A large area of Albanchez belongs to the Sierra Mágina Natural Park, such as the area of Aznaitín and the mountain of Caño del Aguadero, whose spring are located in a high and beautiful place. We can mention other places like Caldera del Tío Lobo, deep bed between rocks that falls through a cliff in a environment with a singular beauty.

The wood of holm oaks and gall oaks is predominant in the landscape and with a rich and varied fauna such as the golden eagle, Spanish goat, wood pigeon, hoopoe, common genet, badger, wild boar, rabbit... that share the area with the traditional cattle.

The places that are rich in water are the favourite ones to spend a day in the countryside. In Albanchez we can find some of them, such as Hútar or El Ayozar, an old farmhouse, place quoted in a Serranilla of Marqués de Santillana.

From the Prehistoric age we can find marks of human settlements, like in the Cueva de los Esqueletos or the Figuras, Iberian and Roman remains were also found. During the Roman period the castle was built, that was the origin of the town, and it was conquered in 1231 by the militias of the Orden Militar de Santiago and later given to the Concejo de Baeza like a small village of Bedmar, from which in 1419 it became independent obtaining the title of town and setting up later the Encomienda Bedmar- Albanchez.

Monuments

Parish Church of La Asunción 
The Castle

Gastronomy

The most typical dishes in Albanchez de Mágina are the stew of sweet corn, the black pudding, the borullos, etc.

Sweets: almendrados and pancakes.

How to get there

From you have to take the N-323 de Úbeda-Baeza. Then take the exit towards Mancha Real, continuing through Jimena, and next to the petrol station take the local road towards Albánchez de Mágina

Distances

To Jaén 43 km 
To Mancha Real 23 km 
To Pegalajar 33 km 
To Jimena 7,5 km 
To Bedmar 14 km 
To Jódar 25 km  
To Almería 210 km