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| Beautiful Alpujarran village of Valor
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The village's Moros y los Cristianos,
a popular festival dating from the 16th century, is one of the most
famous in Spain. As one of the last regio ns to harbour the Moors,
the Alpujarras is one of the best places to watch these pageants,
the other villages here being Trevélez and
Pampaneira.
The staging of the colourful re-enactment of the battle between
the Moors and the
Christians, the Moros y los Cristianos, is held as part of the
village's Fiestas Patronales on 14-15 September, which coincide
with celebrations dedicated to Santo Cristo de la Yedra, the patron
of the Alpujarras.
The notorious Morisco rebel Aben Humeya (aka Hernando de Córdoba y Válor), leader of the 1568 revolt against the Christians, was born in the village in the Casa Palacio de Aben Humeya, and Válor was an outpost of Moorish resistance to the increasingly powerful Catholics. Internal differences weakened the Moriscos and they were expelled in 1609, when the village was repopulated with Christians from Jaen province.
Like many other Alpujarran villages, Válor has a 16th-century Mudéjar church, which has an artesanado coffered ceiling and a Baroque image of Cristo de la Yedra.
There are several attractive and well-signposted walks starting
from the village. A circular walk called the Sendero de
los Castaños, leads as its name suggests through
woodland of sweet chestnuts along the Válor river. The circular
Sendero de los Aguas runs along part of the GR7
long-distance footpath that crosses Spain. Sendero Local
de la Launa starts at the roman bridge, the Puente de la
Tableta, and passes through almond, olive and chestnut groves.
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