Pampanaiera Village , Alpujarra mountains
Pampanaiera Village , Alpujarra mountains
- Pampaneira is a village located in the province of Granada, Spain. It is one of three mountain villages of the Barranco de Poqueira in the Alpujarras region. Alpujarras – The area where the last Muslims of Granada hid out for 80 years after the fall of Granada.
- The terracing and the irrigation of the hillsides (the “Alpujarra alta”) was the work of local Spanish Muslim people of Al-Andalus, who inhabited this area for hundreds of years after the initial Moorish conquest of 711 AD. They also created villages on the hillsides in the style to which they were accustomed in the mountains of North Africa: narrow, winding streets and small flat-roofed houses.
The Catholic “Reconquista” of Spain progressed to the extent that by 1462 only the Emirate of Granada – including the Alpujarras – was left in Muslim hands; and in 1492 the city of Granada fell to the “Catholic Monarchs”. Their attempts to force Christianity on the Muslim inhabitants led to successive revolts, the Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1499–1501) and the Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1568–1571). The revolt of 1568 was a civil war, with the Spaniards deploying large forces against this rural population and with much cruelty. The revolt ended with the death of the last Spanish Muslim leader in March 1571.
- The isolation of this mountain region caused it to remain poor and backward, until during the 20th century it was gradually opened up by improved roads.
- Some villages changed hands more than once, and each time the victor exacted retribution over the vanquished. Even after the Nationalist victory in April 1939, guerrilla fighters in the mountains continued their struggle against the Guardia Civil and a locally recruited militia (Somatén) based in the villages. This conflict did not end until 1942 when the guerrilla leader was captured.
- The Alpujarra today: The high villages have lost population as younger people seek work in the cities, in Spain and elsewhere in the European Union. Tourism has developed as the natural environment of this area has become better known. Visitors include day-time or weekend visitors from Granada and longer-term tourists from northern Europe. There are bus connections with Granada and Motril; as the motorway extends along the coast, the airports of Malaga and Almeria are brought closer in time. There are also numerous foreign residents, who have also brought income and employment to the area. The villages have good-quality accommodation and shops for tourists.
