Alsodux

ALSODUX

Alsodux, like many other villages in this part of Andalusia, is built around the site of an old farmhouse located strategically between the Nacimiento River and the entrance to Guadix. It has around 125 inhabitants.

HISTORY

Historians have traditionally translated the village’s name as “sixth”, thought to come from the Arab word “al-sadis” or from “sodux” in the Andalusí dialect, in reference to the place it occupies within the Taha de Marchena region. However, this theory is challenged by some contemporary Arabists.

The twelfth-century Muslim geographer and chronicler Idrisi spoke of Alsodux as a farmstead located in a strategic place between the Nacimiento River and the access to Guadix. With the Christian reconquest, after the surrender of Baza and the capitulation of Almería, the Taha de Marchena was surrendered to Don Gutierre de Cárdenas y Chacón. Before the expulsion of the Moors in 1570, Alsodux had 80 houses, a mill, an oil mill and about 75 Moorish inhabitants. After the expulsion, it was repopulated in 1574 with 29 people from Castile, western Andalusia and Levante.

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were characterized by an increase in the population and an economic revival. With the abolition of the estate in 1835, it acquired an independent council. During the Al-Andalus period, raisins, oil and silk were exported and the Ohanes grape was introduced in the nineteenth century. Today, the largest local cultivated area is dedicated to citrus fruits, followed by horticulture and fruit trees.

THINGS TO SEE

Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
This is a Mudejar-style Church that stands out over the popular architecture of the hamlet. It stands on the site of a former mosque, in a clear attempt to Christianize places of pagan worship. The main chapel appears differentiated with wooden beams. Its beautiful ochre exterior blends with the white of the surrounding houses and the lustrous green of the orchard. Located on Calle Real.

Ermita de Ánimas
The nineteenth-century Chapel is a testament to the history of popular religion in the Andarax Valley, propagated by the martyrs of the War of the Alpujarras and the Catholic Counter-Reformation Council of Trent. The Chapel was destroyed by a flood in the late nineteenth century and was rebuilt 100 feet higher and nearer the town. From the Chapel’s location, visitors can see across the Uvero River and some ancient farmhouses. The expressive power of this elevation on high terraces emphasizes the economic power of the owners. Located on Calle la Fuente.

GASTRONOMY

The rich and varied gastronomy of Alsodux offers many dishes such as potaje de hinojo (fennel soup), potaje de acelgas (chard stew), potaje de trigo pelado (wheat stew), migas (fried breadcrumbs usually served with pork), fritada de conejo (fried rabbit) and tortilla de collejas (campion omlette). For those who have a sweet tooth, there are many local delicacies such as soplillos (almond meringues), pan dormido (brioche) and pan de mosto (grape bread).

FESTIVALS

Popular festivals in Alsodux are Semana Santa, Fiestas Patronales de la Virgen de la Asunción and Día de los Santos Inocentes. More>

NEARBY PLACES

The neighbouring villages to Alsodux are Alhabia, Santa Cruz de Marchena and Terque.

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