Marchal
Marchal was founded in the Middle Ages on the site of a farmstead dating back to the Moorish era. The village's archaeological sites reveal remains of millenary civilisations. The village has a population of around 400.
History
Carlos Asenjo refers to Marchal as “La Perla del Alhama”, and the name comes from the Arabic word almarch, meaning plain or cultivated field. The name also appears in the 1504 distribution, as does Mármol in 1514. According to Barcia's General Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language (Madrid, 1880–83), the term almarcha comes from the Arabic al-mardj, meaning 'meadow', which is a name of Persian origin. More>
Things to see
Iglesia de Santa Catalina
Nestled within a large group of troglodytic structures is a late Roman or Visigothic church. This cave chapel is located at the foot of a cliff and comprises a rectangular room measuring approximately 6 x 2.3 metres, which ends in a quadrangular apse.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación
There is no evidence of a mosque having existed during the Muslim period. In 1492, a parish church in the Mudejar style was built in Purullena by order of the Synod of Guadix. The Synod stated that the churches in Marchal and Purullena, along with the farms in Cúllar, Luchena, Canlar and Casa de Méndez, were under their control.
Palacio de los Gallardo
The Gallardo Palace sits atop a hill overlooking the valley. This stately pink house, known as the 'Casa Grande', 'Casa del Amo' or 'Casa Rosa', was built by the architect Gustavo Gallardo in the early nineteenth century. It was used by him and his family as a summer residence. The annexes were used by day labourers, servants, the landlord and the manager — first Don Francisco Marín and later Don Padilla.
Ermita de las Ánimas o de la Virgen del Carmen
This chapel, recently rebuilt due to the deterioration of the previous one, is dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen and is located in the Perchel neighborhood. It is located on the road to Los Baños de Graena.
Natural Areas
Sierra Nevada National Park
The Sierra Nevada is a dramatic, rugged and extensive mountain range, the highest in Europe after the Alps, and the most significant section of the Cordillera Penibética. The protected central area of National Park encompasses 85,883Ha of snowy summits, torrential rivers, sheer- sided gorges, stony scree slopes, glacial lakes. An outer protection ring denominated Natural Park of 86,335Ha between the National Park and the foothills such as Alpujarras in the south featuring cultivated terraces of almond trees and vegetables. Popular activities in the parks include skiing, hiking, mountain biking and summer camps. One can simply travel and discover its fauna and flora, see its lagoons and have an adventure in this vast area of land.
Carcavas de Marchal
The Carcavas de Marchal (ravines) were declared a Natural Monument in October 2003 by the Regional Government of Andalusia, formed by a clayey massif with beautiful gullies. Historically, this clayey massif was used to create cave dwellings for the municipality’s residents. The area is located in one of the most interesting landscape and ecological environments in Europe: the badlands. This relief unit is the result of an erosional process caused by the combination of climate and substrate, which began approximately 80,000 years ago on poorly consolidated, highly fragile and crumbly materials such as clays, marls, gypsum and conglomerates. In these soft materials, watercourses quickly become narrower, giving rise to a relatively deep valley with steep walls. A secondary network of seasonal waterways, the gullies and small ravines, expanded this eroded area, creating a typical semi-desert landscape of hills almost bare of vegetation. Much of the rainfall falls in spring or autumn and is torrential, causing the normally dry gullies to overflow their banks, carrying with them a large amount of material. The visible results are the formation of gullies, ravines, and, ultimately, gullies. The lack of adequate vegetation cover increases the combined effects of torrential rains on the soft substrates.
Bus Service
There is a bus service from Marchal to Granada City. More>
Handicrafts
The craftsmanship of the people of Marchal is very scarce and is centred almost exclusively on esparto grass, created by the locals in an employment workshop.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Marchal is dominated by dishes, such as chickpea stew and products including cereal, almonds, olives and wine.
Festivals
Popular festivals in Marchal are Candelaria, Santo Cristo de los Milagros, San Marcos and San Bonifacio. More>
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Marchal. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Marchal is located in the Town Hall. More>
Nearby Places
The neighbouring villages to Marchal are Beas de Guadix and Purullena.