Jete on the Río Verde: Culture, Landscape and Cherimoya

Jete lies on the banks of the Río Verde, which divides the town into two districts. Settlement remains from the Neolithic period have been documented in Jete, including burials in caves and stone cists, as well as numerous lithic and ceramic finds. There are bus connections between Jete and Almuñécar and between Jete and Granada.

Culture and History

The origins of the present-day settlement of Jete are attributed to the Arab period; geographers of the 11th and 12th centuries mentioned Set, Xet and Yeth as an alquería of Almuñécar. The Fábrica Trapiche was built in 1736 and was the first major sugar factory in Jete. The parish church of San Antonio is one of Jete’s two notable historic-religious buildings. It was built between the 16th and 17th centuries and contains valuable works by Alonso de Mena. The pilgrimage chapel of the Virgen de Bodíjar stands on a hill outside Jete’s town centre.

Landscape

The Santuario de Bodíjar lies at the upper end of the Barranco de Bodíjar and offers views of the Río Verde valley and the sea. The Paisaje agrario del Alto Río Verde cultural landscape between Jete and Otívar is characterised by farming on terraces near the river; in the lower area there are sugar-cane plantations, while the rest of the basin has mixed vegetable and fruit crops. The cultural landscape of Alto Río Verde includes mills and sugar presses in Jete, as structures connected with horticultural and agricultural culture. The townscape of Jete and the fertile, cultivated land surrounding it form an agricultural landscape in which features of the landscape described in historical chronicles can be recognised. The Paisaje agrario del Alto Río Verde cultural landscape is part of an El legado andalusí route on the Ruta de al Idrisi.

Pilgrimage and Festivals

On the last Sunday in April, the Virgen de Bodíjar is carried in procession to her sanctuary, four kilometres from Jete. The Romería de la Virgen de Bodíjar was already known as a famous tradition in the 17th century. Today’s celebration of the Romería de la Virgen de Bodíjar includes prayers, songs and dances until sunset; afterwards, the Virgin is taken back to the San Antonio church. The patron-saint celebrations in honour of the Virgen de Bodíjar take place from 31 December to 2 January.

Hiking

A local hiking route begins at the Cortijo de la Malagueña, which lies at the meeting point of the municipal boundaries of Otívar and Jete. One route passes through the Sierra de Bodíjar and ends at the Cueva de las Vacas. The local hiking route is approximately 2.5 kilometres long and has a steep incline. Route length, incline, landscape and dates provide various points of reference for organising the days according to the desired focus.

Cuisine

Jete lies within the production area of the protected designation of origin Chirimoya de la Costa Tropical de Granada-Málaga. The Chirimoya de la Costa Tropical de Granada-Málaga designation of origin protects exclusively cherimoyas of the Fino de Jete and Campas varieties. The Fino de Jete variety was selected by local farmers in Jete around 1880; an old plantation is documented at a place called El Chirimoyo. The protected local Fino de Jete variety is intended for fresh consumption in Extra and Class I grades. When harvested at optimum maturity, the cherimoya changes from intense green to pale green; its flesh is white to ivory-coloured, highly aromatic and develops from sour to sweet when eaten. The Feria Chirimoya Fino de Jete was held on 27 November 2025 for its third edition.

Further destinations: Pinos Puente, Pulianas, Villamena, Ferreira, Jerez Del Marquesado, Montejícar, Lentegí, Alquife

To the higher-level travel overview: Granada.