La Guardia de Jaén – Squares, Trails and Landscapes

Plaza Isabel II was founded in 1566 by the first Marquis of La Guardia, Gonzalo Messía Carrillo de Fonseca, and is largely the work of Francisco del Castillo “el Mozo”. The restored Lavadero Público de la II República can be visited and displays contemporary everyday objects; the first floor also houses the Fuente Lavadero Museum and Exhibition Room.

When choosing a holiday apartment in La Guardia de Jaén, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the listings page. These details can be considered as separate points of comparison before matching your personal travel plans with the options available.

Culture and History

Today, Plaza Isabel II is divided into two squares by Calle Mesón. The lower square is home to the Casa solariega de Piedra, dating from 1833, and the Pilar de los cinco caños. The church of the former Dominican monastery of Santo Domingo de La Guardia is the monastery’s best-preserved building and dates from the 16th century, more precisely from 1530. Its Renaissance section is attributed to Andrés de Vandelvira and comprises 46 coffers, each depicting a religious figure with a symbolic scene from that figure’s life.

Traditions and Cuisine

Canto de la Aurora is an old and still deeply rooted religious tradition in La Guardia, in which songs are used to call people to recite the Rosary. The pilgrimage held in honour of La Guardia’s patron saint has a history of more than four hundred years and takes place in the Allanadas del Santo natural area.

Local cuisine includes Guiñapos, a stew made with wheat flatbreads, shellfish, anchovies, meat and various vegetables, as well as Bollo de calabaza, made with roasted pumpkin, paprika and sugar. Tours of La Guardia de Jaén’s historical and art-historical monuments are available by prior reservation through the town hall.

More places to discover: Linares, El Almicerán, Virgen De La Cabeza, La Puerta De Segura, Jimena, La Iruela, Lopera and Peal De Becerro.

Trails and Landscapes

The Ruta de los Nazaríes passes through La Guardia de Jaén and then continues over mountains and mountain passes towards Cambil and Huelma. The Sendero del Cerro San Cristóbal is a representative hiking trail that begins and ends in the municipality of La Guardia de Jaén. On the flat summit of Cerro de San Cristóbal, you can walk among pine trees; its northern and southern slopes serve as natural viewpoints.

Replanted pine trees, scrubland and aromatic plants grow on the upper slopes and summit of Cerro de San Cristóbal. From the Torre del Homenaje, there are views of Sierra Mágina, Sierra Morena and the fields of La Loma.

The C2 is an approximately 62 km circular route that leads to La Guardia along mountain roads. Another hiking route begins at a square next to Justo Pérez Ecopark; after a 1 km stretch along the road, it reaches the starting point of the trail in Barranco Hondo.

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