GOR
By Saskia Mier
Gor is located north east of Guadix and is home to the oldest running of the bulls tradition in the country. The meaning and origin of its name are still unknown. The municipality of Gor oversees several hamlets, including Las Juntas, Las Viñas, Cenascuras, Los Balcones, La Rambla, Valdiquín, Los Corrales, El Royo, Serval and La Estación de Gorafe. The town has a population of around 980.
HISTORY
The area's history stretches from Neanderthal times at Peña del Escarmiento through Neolithic settlements. Later inhabitants at Cortijo Colorado included Iberians, Romans, and Byzantines, followed by Moors and Christians. After the Catholic Monarchs captured the area in 1489, it was granted to noble families. The town's history is marked by residents' disputes with their lords over mountain use from 1558 until the 19th century, culminating in the title of Duke of Gor in 1803. Today, Gor is also known for having the country's oldest bullfighting tradition, featuring popular encierros and novilladas. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Fuente de los Siete Caños.
The Fountain of the Seven Pipes is a brick fountain located in the centre of town. Consisting of seven metal pipes and a large drinking trough, it is fed by a spring flowing about 10 metres above it and by excess water from the municipal water tank. Next to the fountain is the washhouse, where women once came to wash clothes and drink water from the fountain. Today, the washhouse has been well preserved and restored with ceramic plaques bearing poems and phrases dedicated to the women of yesteryear who came here to wash clothes in the basins. It is located on Calle Fuente. More>
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación.
Built on the site of a mosque used for worship until 1500, the church was permanently established in 1558 by Diego de Jaén and Juan de Vandelvira. Though later renovations obscured its original Mudejar style, the structure features three unequal naves separated by semicircular arches on Doric pillars. Its façade portal dates the completion of work to 1645. The only surviving original decoration is the frescoes in the Ermita de la Virgen de Belén, painted in 1699 by order of Don Sancho of Castile, Lord of Gor. The church includes four chapels dedicated to various saints, and is topped by a two-storey tower with a wrought-iron belfry. More>
THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN
Las Angosturas.
The archaeological site of Las Angosturas is an ancient Chalcolithic settlement occupied since the Copper Age, with major excavations conducted between 1980 and 1983. The site's cultural sequence covers the Early and Full Copper Ages, a Bronze Age phase with individual burials in large vessels, and continues into the Iberian period. During the Iberian phase, numerous rectangular buildings, likely dwellings, were constructed within a settlement defended by a double line of walls. The associated necropolis is located near Cortijo Colorao. In 1996, the Las Angosturas settlement was officially designated a Site of Cultural Interest. More>
NATURAL AREAS
Sierra de Baza Natural Park.
Adjacent to neighbouring Almería province and in the northeast of Granada province is the sparsely populated Sierra de Baza Natural Park, which covers an area of 53,649 hectares and is part of the Cordillera Penibética. Its steep, pine-clad slopes extend up to the more barren, rocky terrain above 2,000 metres. The central area consists of remote, jagged limestone peaks which are sometimes covered in snow during the winter and are home to majestic birds of prey such as golden eagles and nine other species of raptor. At 2,271 metres, Santa Bárbara is the highest point of the Sierra. On clear days, you can see the Cazorla Natural Park. The Sierra de Baza is a verdant landscape located between two arid plains: the Llanos del Marquesado, which separates it from the Sierra Nevada, and the Hoya de Guadix.
HANDICRAFTS
The handicrafts at Gor are centred on esparto grass.
BUS SERVICE
There is no bus service from Gor.
GASTRONOMY
Gor's cuisine is centred around pork and lamb, as well as traditional homemade bread baked in a wood-burning stove. Flour is a key ingredient in many dishes, such as migas con patatas (fried breadcrumbs with pork), gurupina and las gachas de Gor (savoury porridge). Typical dishes to try here include Zalamandroña (cod, tomatoes and dried peppers), andrajos con liebre (pasta stew with wild hare), lomo en orza (roasted pork), and delicious homemade cold cuts. Wine lovers will enjoy the local Pitraque wine produced in Gor. Be careful not to drink too much — as delicious as it is, it gets to your head quite quickly!
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Gor are Fiestas Patronales de San Cayetano and San Blas. More>
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Gor. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Gor is located in the Town Hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Gor are Benalúa and Baza.
