Alcalá la Real: Fortaleza de la Mota, Etnosur and Hiking Trails
The Fortaleza de la Mota is classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest and preserves the original structure of the Almohad wall as well as the Renaissance urban layout. At the same time, the complex reflects the layout of an Islamic city with three fortified areas: Madina, Alcázar and Arrabal.
Siege galleries run beneath the Fortaleza de la Mota, connecting the Arrabal with the Madina. The tunnels extend for more than 120 metres and have a gradient of 40 percent.
Etnosur is a free multidisciplinary festival that has taken place since 1997 on the third weekend of July in Alcalá la Real. It combines music with circus, workshops, storytelling, street activities, handicrafts and food, and extends throughout Alcalá la Real.
Holy Week in Alcalá la Real is recognised as a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest. Its distinctive features include mime performances and dramatised acclamations, whose origins lie in the Baroque autos sacramentales.
Culture and History
The Palacete de la Hilandera is a house built at the end of the 19th century and one of the finest examples of Modernisme in the comarca. The Museum of Religiosity is located in the Iglesia de San Juan and displays exhibitions on local popular religiosity, including Rostrillos depicting biblical figures during Holy Week in Alcalá la Real.
Excavations at the Domus Herculana archaeological site uncovered a faun's head and a high relief of Hercules with a dog; both can be seen at the Museo de Palacio Abacial. The Domus Herculana archaeological site also contains the city's most significant Roman archaeological remains.
The route through the Old Town follows the Llanillo from the Paseo de los Álamos to the Compás de Consolación, passing San Antón and the former Convento de Capuchinos. The entrance gardens of the Convento de la Trinidad preserve the remains of a maqbara, a former Muslim cemetery.
The Casa-Hermandad del Ecce Homo y Jesús en la Columna houses an exhibition with dressed and masked figures, a family altar and photographs relating to Holy Week in Alcalá la Real. A multi-purpose building was reconstructed on the site of the former church and the Convento de la Trinidad, founded in 1475; it is intended to serve as an exhibition and dining centre.
Alcalá la Real provides access to two stages of the Camino Mozárabe de Santiago and serves pilgrims from Granada as the endpoint of one stage and the starting point of the route through the province of Jaén. Further exploration also includes Charilla.
Nature
The Centro de Rescate de Anfibios y Reptiles provides information about native and invasive species and participates in the rescue of threatened native populations as well as exotic animals from the pet trade. The Jardines de la Trinidad preserve cypresses and boxwood, as well as a fountain and the remains of pergolas, springs, stairways and balustrades.
The approved hiking trail along the Río Velillos follows the river through a landscape shaped by dry farming in the municipality. The approved Zumaques route leads to the impressive rock gorges known as “Los Tajos”, beneath which natural vegetation has survived as a remnant of the Mediterranean forests of southern Spain.
For the higher-level travel overview: Jaen.
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