Information on Guadix
Another great reason for renting property in the Lecrin valley in Andalucia is that you are centre to most things. Jump in your car and 55 minutes up the road you come across the town of Guadix.

Guadix occupies part of an elevated plateau among the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is surrounded by ancient walls, and was formerly dominated by a Moorish castle, now in ruins.

The cathedral town of Guadix is located in the eastern confines of the Province of Granada, a large, bustling country town with a personality all of its own. Take a walk through the town and see the character of the town.

Turn a corner and you can see the remains of what was once a proud building giving a hint of someone with substance use to live there. The history of Guadix dates back to Phoenician and Roman times, and records show it played a major role in the Reconquest.

There is no doubt the Moorish castle dominates the skyline and must of been impressive for those who travelled in that period and who came upon it. A small insight to the history of this very interesting town.
Guadix el Viejo, 6km/5 miles northwest, was the Roman Acci mentioned in Pliny's Natural History and as Akki by Ptolemy, who placed it among the Bastetani. Acci (Accitum) was the name of the old city situated in the region of the Bastetanos, whose capital was Baza. It is not known for certain whether it is of Phoenician or of early Spanish origin. According to Macrobius, the primitive inhabitants paid homage to Mars under the name of Neton. Julius Caesar established the Roman colony called Julia Gemella.
According to tradition, it was the seat of the first bishopric in Hispania, in the 2nd century.

After 711 it rose to some importance as a Moorish fortress and trading station, renamed Wadi-Aci ("the Wadi of Acci" [1] It was surrendered without a siege to the Spaniards, under Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1489.

The most interesting and famous feature of the Guadix area is that almost half of the inhabitants of this large town live underground, in the southern part of the town, in what is known as cave houses.

The jagged ochre terrain and the dazzling whitewashed chimneys and doors of the caves contrast dramatically with the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada, which loom above in the distance. The cave district is signposted on the main street of the town as the "Barrio Troglodyte".

You can drive through the cave area, but you should also get out and take a stroll. The "troglodytes" very friendly people and are also very house-proud, or "cave-proud", as you wish... If you show an interest in their homes, you will be sure to be invited in to have a look. Certainly that is true as I was taking pictures a lovely young lady invited me into her house. In my best small amount of Spanish that I knew, I explained I had to catch up with my family who were walking ahead of me. With a smile on her face she waved me goodbye as I ran off to catch up with my wife. As I caught up with my wife and with my ego having been dealt a massive boost I told her a young lady had asked me into her house. To me it was obvious that she had taken a shine to me. "Yes I read about the people who live in the cave houses" she replied. "They are famous for being so friendly and will invite people in to see their houses which they are so proud of, so it's quite common for them to do that" replied the wife with a smile on her face. My ego had come back down to earth but personally I prefer the idea she took a fancy to me.

Click on any image to see full size picture

Most of the cave houses are lovely	Cave house Chimneys stick up above the ground
Most cave houses are close together	Some of the cave houses are very big and Grand

Ever since the Moorish times, the Andalucians have been fond of living underground because it is the best way of escaping the summer heat waves, so don't be surprised if you are invited in to have a look around. Most of today's cave-dwellings are well-appointed, like any other Spanish home, and some are even quite luxurious, with marble floors, fitted kitchens, faxes and internet connections. Purullena, a nearby village, has a disco inside a cave, and you can rent a cave to spend the night in many of the region's villages.

In the centre of Guadix, you should not miss the Cathedral, founded in 1594, and the Cave Museum - Plaza de la Ermita Nueva S/n.

The region is famous for its hand-crafted earthenware, which is sold on the roadside in the nearby village of Purullena. The text on this page only is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)Click here to see the terms of the GNU