Albondón
History
The first records of Albondón date back to the Andalusian period, when it flourished due to its dry climate, which made it possible to exploit its lands. The area covered by the municipality contains vestiges of Cave Culture, including important archaeological sites such as the Cueva de las Campanas and the Sima de Los Intentos. In addition to interesting karstic relief, numerous Neolithic artefacts were found here, which are now on display at the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Granada.
Evidence also suggests that the area was inhabited in the Metal Age, with commercial exchange dating back to Phoenician and Roman times. However, it was during the Muslim period that small population centres, known as alquerías, began to emerge. These alquerías would eventually evolve into the current town of Gualchos and the charming village of Jolúcar.
After the expulsion of the Moors, the area was repopulated by Christians, as was the rest of the Kingdom of Granada. However, it lost its former glory and it took until the nineteenth century for it to gradually recover, when phylloxera attacked the abundant vineyards and many families emigrated to America and Catalonia. However, the Catalanisation of the name from 'Castil' to 'Castell' took place after the Napoleonic defeat, when a large group of Catalan fishermen settled here.
Due to its fertile agriculture and its location on the route to the Sierra de Lújar, where important mines had been exploited since Roman times, the area was of great interest to Barbary pirates. This resulted in the construction of a significant defensive system comprising towers in strategic locations such as Cambriles, Zambullón, La Estancia, La Rijana, and the castle itself, which was reused and adapted over time.
During the last third of the 20th century, it experienced great prosperity thanks to the development of intensive agriculture and the introduction of organic farming and tourism.