Priego de Córdoba

In the Subbética Cordoba, in the SE of the province of Cordoba, with an area of 159,190 hectares and with about 113,000 inhabitants in 14 municipalities, there is a natural space between the mountains of Cabra, Rute and Horconera,which is of great ecological and scenic value, declared by the Junta de Andalucía, through the Environment Agency, as Natural Park of Sierras Subbéticas de Córdoba, having an area of 31,568 hectares, distributed unevenly among eight municipalities: Cabra, Carcabuey, Doña Mencia, Iznajar, Luque, Priego, Rute and Zuheros.

The history of Priego de Córdoba should not be viewed in isolation, as it had an effect on some of the most outstanding events that took place in the whole cultural area of the Mediterranean. Numerous prehistoric findings tell us about its past, the oldest remains that have been found being from the Middle Palaeolithic age. It belonged to the Mousterian Cultural Complex, which developed during the period between 30,000 and 90,000 years before the present day.

There are also considerable remains as proof of the strong ‘Romanization’ of the region, but it was without doubt the Muslims who gave Priego all its early splendour. The historian Ibn al-Khatib said that in the year 745, Egyptian soldiers who entered the peninsula under the command of Abul-Jatt settled in Bago (Priego).

During the mid-ninth century Priego was known as Medina Bagha or Medina Bahiga, and also as capital of the Muslim coras or provinces, and played an important role in the use of guerrillas kept by the emirs of Cordoba. In 889 it became the centre of operations of Ibn Mastana, one of the most important insurgent leaders, who entitled himself ‘Lord of Priego and Luque’.

As the Caliphate of Cordoba declined, the town of Priego formed part, first of the Zirit kingdom of Granada, and later of the Nazarite kingdom. As in 1090 it was occupied by the Almoravids, who replaced the Almohades in the mid-thirteenth century
In 1226, King Ferdinand III, having raised the siege of Jaén, arrived in Priego from Alcaudete, and after three days donated the town to the Order of Calatrava.
In 1341, Priego was finally conquered by Alfonso XI, who began the resettlement and the payment of tolls and taxes.

In 1370, Priego came under the control of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, lord of the House of Aguilar, by cession of Enrique II.

In 1502, the Catholic Monarchs named Don Pedro Fernandez de Cordoba first Marquis of Priego. It was a time of great progress for the town. During this time was constructed the ‘Casa del Cabildo’, the jail, the Granary and the ‘Carcineria’(butchery hall). They also rebuilt the chapel of San Nicasio and built the church of San Esteban, today called San Francisco.  
During the seventeenth century the Moors who had occupied the district of La Puerta, Granada were expelled. According to the council, their number amounted to three thousand people. This contributed to the worsening economic situation which was already bad enough in the first half of this century, as at the beginning of the century local inhabitants were made to pay higher sales taxes than ever before. An agreement was reached whereby the city would buy the sales tax for 130,000 ducats. Felipe III signed this agreement and it was ratified later in 1617 by Philip IV. Around this time the region suffered outbreaks of plague which occurred in 1650 and 1680.

In 1705, Priego was involved in the War of Succession and the defense of Gibraltar, and in 1711, becomes dependent on the Duchy of Medinaceli. It reached a stage of great prosperity as one of the most important centres of sericulture (the cultivation and production of silk) in Spain.

Taffeta and velvet was sold in much of the peninsula, France and the Indies. The convents and temples used this as baroque decoration. But in the late eighteenth century, there was a sharp downturn, due in part to impaired production of mulberry trees, high taxes and the competitive pressure of cotton fabrics.

For this reason, the economic boom of the eighteenth century contrasts greatly with the poverty of the nineteenth century, caused by the disappearance of the guilds and the many vicissitudes of national life, the French invasion, the liberal turmoil, partisan politics, all causes of deep political instability and the land seizures.

In 1843 the municipality emancipated the villages of Castil de compos (later to be re-integrated into the municipality), Fuente Tojar and Almedinilla.

In 1881, King Alfonso XII awarded the title of City due to population growth, agricultural importance and commitment to constitutional monarchy. But perhaps the highlight of this century are the births of these illustrious sons, Don Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres (1877-1949), first President of the Second Spanish Republic, Don Adolfo Lozano Sidro (1872-1935), famous and distinguished painter, and, a little later, the renowned sculptor Don José Álvarez Cubero (1768-1827).

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the population reached 17,000 and the city woke up from the slumbers of the nineteenth. In the decade of the 20’s there grew up an important textile industry producing patens, denim and canvas, which began to decline in the 60's. Today it has turned into a garment industry that has made Priego, along with its agricultural potential, industrial and tourism, a thriving city, with broad prospects for the future.

Monuments

Fuente del Rey
Barrio de la Villa
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
Church of Our Lady of the Dawn (Nuestra Señora de la Aurora)
Priego´s Castle
Church of San Francisco
Fuente de la Salud
Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes
Ayuntamiento (Town Hall)
Hospital and Church of San Juan de Dios
Church of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias (Church of Our Lady of Sorrows)
Church of San Pedro
Carnicerias Reales
Plaza de Toros
Plaza de Don Niceto Alcalá Zamora y Torres
Casa de Adolfo Lozano and Sidro
Municipal Historical Museum
Ermita de Calvario
Paseo de Colombia

Gastronomy

It would take a long time to describe all the dishes and desserts available in Priego therefore we will only describe these three traditional recipes, still prepared to this day, but first we must mention the excellent olive oil with the denomination of origin "Priego de Córdoba", which is a fundamental ingredient to most dishes prepared in the area.
Relleno de Carnaval: This dish stands out from others because of its age. It consists of a mixture of meat, seasoned with basic ingredients and once well kneaded the meat is mixed with pork and boiled, then allowed to cool and served sliced.
Albondigas de Semana Santa: Prepared at Easter as several fish dishes, such as Easter Meatballs, made ​​with broth and exquisite tasting. Also prepared is Easter casserole whose ingredients are white beans or "Amon" and cod.
Piñonate: A sweet tradition and known for its delicacy is piñonates, which usually takes the form of a big donut fried in olive oil. Its preparation is extremely difficult as it must be cooked over candlewood by an expert as the heat of the oil is critical to the process.
Directions
Out of Cordoba. At the roundabout, take exit 2 Continue: towards Granada, direction: N-432, Granada,. Pass Santa Cruz and follow signs to Baena and Luque. Once past the town of Luque after several miles you will find Priego de Córdoba

Distances