Cástaras

The municipality of Cástaras is part of the Natural Park of Sierra Nevada, and can be found on the south side. Cástaras is beginning to gain a well-deserved reputation for its wines, and also has the essential features that define the image of the Alpujarran villages, a unique architecture to their homes, perfectly adapted to the roughness of the terrain and climate of the area, with narrow steep streets very reminiscent of the Moorish past. In the locality are the remains of the iron mines of that time.

Castaras lies in the heart of the Alpujarras, a region unique in the Peninsula, forming a natural progression between the Mediterranean coast and the Sierra Nevadas, where the highest peaks of the Spanish territories can be found, and is a ‘must see’ along the Alpujarras route. Nieles village lies at the edge of the municipality.

Castaras is of Arab origin, and achieved singular importance as a population centre thanks to the iron mines of the time, in the hierro de el Conjuro, which have been in use until recent years, together with some ‘quicksilver’ mines, which have been closed since the mid-twentieth century.

After the Reconquista by the Catholic Monarchs, Cástaras passed from Moorish to Christian hands. In the mid-sixteenth century there was a Moorish uprising, the Moors were defeated and expelled from the municipality. Years later, the village was repopulated with settlers from other regions.

The population of Cástaras has been drastically reduced due to emigration. In the 70's, before the mass exodus of its people in search of work in other parts of Spain, close to the two-thirds of the homes in the town were uninhabited.

Monuments

Iglesia Parroquial (Parish Church, coffered ceiling, 16th century).
Ermita de la Virgen de Fátima (convent)

Gastronomy

Embutidos (ham, chorizo, black pudding, salchichon). Migas.(a dish of meats with breadcrumbs) Choto cabañil with garlic. Gachas with peppers. Chestnut soup. Patas fritos a la pobre (poor man's fries.) Remojon.

Sweets: Leche frita. Various Cakes. Sweet tortilla. Artisan bread, baked locally.

LocalWines.

Directions

 From Granada to Cástaras take N-323 motorway towards Motril and merge onto the A-348 at the exit to Lanjaron. Pass Orgiva and  Torvizcón, at the end of the village you should take the detour to Almegíjar by the GR-413 until you reach Cástaras.

Distances