Villanueva Mesia

Villanueva Mesia can be found in the province of Granada. It has 2127 inhabitants and is situated in the Vega of Granada, 40 km from the capital. The municipality of Villanueva Mesia is crossed by the river Genil and covers an area of 11.18 km2.

Villanueva de Mesia is bordered to the north by the municipality of Montefrio, to the east by the municipality of Íllora, to the south by the municipality of Moraleda de Zafayona, to the southwest by the municipality of Huétor Tájar, and to the west by the municipality of Loja.

During the land distributions made after the fall of the Nazari Kingdom of Granada, the territories of Villanueva were given to a lieutenant of the Earl of Tendilla, who was called Lazarus de Peralta. The urban structure began to develop around ventas and cortijos which were near to the river Genil. The fledgling town was first called Talancé, a name derived from 'talanquera', a kind of defensive parapet against the eventual flooding of the stream which here flows into the river Genil and for the same reason the stream was called arroyo Talancé. Later, the estate passed to the ownership of the family Simancas for much of the sixteenth century; from then on the village was called Villanueva de Tajara.

In 1577, Juan de Simancas II sold it to the marriage of don Alonso Messia de Alarcón and dona Francisca Arias de Mansilla Perez de Herrasti. Don Alonso and his wife instituted primogeniture of Messi in the person of their firstborn son, Francis. This changed the double 's' in the surname of his father into 'x' in his, and they purchased from King Felipe III the jurisdiction and seigniory (lordship)of Villanueva in 1614. The historic personage who gave the town its present name was installed in a magnificent stately building, which was later transformed by him and his descendants into the ‘casa-palacio’(mansion, stately home) which was for many decades the architectural pride of the town and its people. It was demolished in the 1990s due to the inexorable passage of time.

Monuments
Parish Church of Our Lady of the Dawn

Gastronomy

Villanueva Mesia's cuisine is characterized by an abundance of vegetables on the table resulting in dishes such as:
-‘Remojón’ of potatoes and orange, pipirrana, porra malena, snail casserole, pork sausages and asparagus dressing.

Directions

Leaving Granada. Continue along: A-92G. Pass Jardines de Caballo Blanco and Santa Fe Take A-92 heading to Malaga - Sevilla - Airport. Follow signs to Airport. Keep going towards Málaga - Sevilla. Pass near Fuensanta and Loreto. Take the exit towards: Exit 206 - Villanueva de Mesia. Continue: GR-NO-34 and arrive at Villanueva Mesia.

Distances