La Taha - Pitres

Pitres - Capilerilla - Mecina - Mecinilla - Fondales - Ferreirola - Atalbéitar - Puerto de Jubiley

You can find the municipality of La Taha on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, in the province of Granada, within the region known as the Alpujarras, 73 kilometres from the capital. The village lies between the rich valleys of the Bermejo and de la Sangre. With an area of 28.80 square kilometres the municipal area has quite a difference in height, being at its highest  around 2,400 metres above sea level, while at its lowest level is scarcely 600 metres.

La Taha has integrated with the village of Pitres, head of the Ayuntimiento (with annexed Capilerilla) and the villages of Ferreirola (with an annexe called Atalbéitar ) and Mecina - Fondales, consisting of three villages: Mecina, Mecinilla and Fondales. We can also mention another population centre: El Puerto de Jubiley, which was a farmstead built at the confluence of the boundaries of three towns, so their houses are shared between Órgiva, Torvizcón and La Taha.

The history of La Taha runs parallel to that of the Alpujarras, a region which, by its geographical isolation, has developed its own completely separate culture, which had its moments of splendour during the Arab Andalusian period, when all the Alpujarras was an important agricultural emporium specializing in silk production. After the conquest of Granada (1492) by the Catholic Monarchs, the population was gradually subjected to a pressure that eventually became intolerable, and in 1568 a wealthy landowner in the area, Hernando de Valor, who took the name of Aben Humeya, took up arms against Philip II, prompting a revolt among the Moors of the whole kingdom of Granada.

However, internal dissensions among the Moors led to the killing of  Abén Humeya, in 1569, which allowed Don Juan of Austria to deal swiftly with the uprising. The Moors were finally expelled in 1609, and the Alpujarras, being depopulated, was repopulated by settlers from Galicia, León, Asturias and Castilla.

Monuments

Iglesia Parroquial de San Roque (San Roque Parish Church in Pitres)
Iglesia Parroquial de San Marcos y San Cayetano (Church of San Marcos and San Cayetano in Mecina Fondales)
Iglesia Parroquial de la Santa Cruz (Church of the Holy Cross in Ferreirola)
Iglesia Parroquial de la Virgen de Gracia (Parish Church of Our Lady of Grace in Atalbéitar)
Iglesia de Santa Maria de Albaizar (Church of Santa Maria of Albaizar)
Ermita de las Animas Benditas (Chapel of the Holy Souls in Ferreirola)
Ermita de San Francisco de Paula (Chapel of San Francisco de Paula in Capilerilla)
Ermita de la Virgen de las Zorreras (Chapel of the Virgin de las Zorreras in Ferreirola)
Ermita de la Virgen del Rosario (Chapel of the Virgin del Rosario in Fondales)
Escarihuelas (royal roads that zigzag between the mountains saving large levels of the terrain)
Bridges - Mills – Irrigation Ditches

Gastronomy

In La Taha are cooked and prepared - migas, sausages and hams. Another typical dish is roasted chestnuts that are often sprinkled with the wine of the area. Among the sweet highlights are ‘papaviejos’.

Directions

Leaving Granada . At the roundabout, take exit 4. Continue along: E-902 / A-44 direction: Armilla - Motril. Take the exit towards: Exit 164 - Béznar - A-348 - Lanjaron - Alpujarra. At the roundabout, take exit 1 and continue along: A-348 direction: A-348 - Lanjaron. Pass Lanjaron and Orgiva. Continue along: A-4132 until you reach Pitres.

Distances