La Alpujarra (sometimes Las Alpujarras) is a landlocked historical region in Southern Spain, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The western part of the region lies in the province of Granada and the eastern part in the province of Almería. In older sources the name is sometimes spelled Alpuxarras.
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This mountainous region consists principally of valleys which descend at right angles from the ridges of the Sierra Nevada on the north, to the Sierras Almijara, Contraviesa and Gádor, which separate it from the Mediterranean Sea, to the south.
The region is one of great natural beauty. Because of a warm southerly climate combined with a reliable supply of water for irrigation from the rivers running off the Sierra Nevada, the valleys of the western Alpujarras are among the most fertile in Spain, though the steepness of the terrain means that they can only be cultivated in small fields, so that many modern agricultural techniques are impractical. They contain a rich abundance of fruit trees, especially grape vines, oranges, lemons, persimmons, figs and almonds. The eastern Alpujarra, in the province of Almería, is more arid, but still highly attractive.
The largest villages in the district are Lanjarón, with its ruined castle and chalybeate baths, Órgiva, Ugíjar, Laujar, Berja. All are situated at a considerable elevation, and Trevélez, whose main church is at 1,476 metres (4,843 ft) above sea level, is the highest recognised town in Spain. The three white villages in the gorge of the Rio Poqueira, Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira, have become recognised tourist destinations; however, there are many other equally traditional villages of similar appearance, for example those in the La Taha municipality to the east of the Poqueira gorge. The steepness of the land means that the houses in the villages seem to be piled on top of another, and their characteristic flat roofs, distinctive roofed chimneys, and balconies (tináos) extending across the steep narrow streets give them a unique and picturesque appearance.
Among the agricultural specialities of the region is a variety of air-cured ham, especially associated with Trevélez. In general, however, the impossibility of mechanising agriculture in such a district means that it is not competitive under modern conditions, and the growth area of the economy is tourism. The district is served by bus services from Granada, and can be reached in a few hours from the international airport at Málaga. The GR 7 (E4) "Mediterranean Arc" European long-distance footpath passes through the region.
Chris Stewart's best seller Driving Over Lemons is set in La Alpujarra. Gerald Brenan described his seven year stay in the region in the 1920s in South From Granada.
La Alpujarra was successively settled by Ibero-Celtic peoples, by the Roman Empire, and by the Visigoths. In the 8th century the Moors conquered southern Spain and the region remained in their hands for over 800 years but it was in the last 150 years of that period that it became heavily populated as the Reconquista conquered all Muslim controlled lands in the mid 13th century, except the Emirate of Granada. The region became a refuge of the Moors, where, as Moriscos, they maintained a distinct culture for nearly 150 years after the fall of Granada in 1492.
During the sixteenth century there were several uprisings in the area after the Moors were forced to choose between conversion to Christianity or expulsion. One of the Spanish expeditions against the Moriscos was led by Philip's illegitimate half-brother Don John of Austria. As a historical curiosity, the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, residing in Spain after the Spanish Conquest of Peru, took part in that expedition.
Following the Second Rebellion of the Alpujarras in 1568, the Moorish population was evicted from the region and dispersed. By order of the Spanish crown two Moorish families were required to remain in each village in order to demonstrate the workings of the terracing and irrigation systems on which the district's agriculture depends to the new inhabitants, introduced from other parts of Spain.. The problems with the Moriscos did not disappear and eventually the entire Morisco population of Spain was expelled to north Africa in 1609, an event which seriously damaged the economy of the region.
The influence of the Moorish population can be seen in the distinct cubic architecture (reminiscent of Berber architecture in Morocco's Atlas Mountains), the local cuisine, the local carpet weaving, and the numerous Arabic place names.
The name Alpujarras may derive from Arabic al Busherat meaning "the grass-land".
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón travelled through the Alpujarras in the second half of the nineteenth century publishing in 1874 a book about the experience titled La Alpujarra. In this book he gives four possible origins for the name, based on the classical writer Luis del Mármol: