POZO ALCÓN
by Saskia Mier
Pozo Alcón belonged to the city of Úbeda until 1564, at which time it became part of Quesada, from which it later became independent in 1648 when Felipe IV granted it the title of Villa. One of its most beautiful places is the reservoir, where the locals go to cool off in the hottest months of the summer. It has about 4700 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The history of Pozo Alcón has a key date, July 12 1648, in which King Felipe IV separated Pozo from the town of Quesada, becoming a royal and independent town. That day the town had 191 residents, who in order to obtain this exemption, had to pay His Majesty 5,000 ducats.
Regarding its origins, the first written reference of this population dates from 1331. After finishing the conquest of Granada, there was a progressive colonisation of that area known as El Pozo de Campo Cuenca. In 1529 it was subjected to plowing by its settlers, who began to cultivate the vacant land. A few years later, in 1572, Pozo had a population of 80 residents and 60 in its surroundings. In 1618, it already had the Ermita de Santa Ana and the Iglesia de La Encarnación.
After achieving its municipal independence, the town experienced a progressive population increase. In the middle of the eighteenth century, it had 316 houses and 600 residents with a parish church, two hermitages, a granary and a hospital. Wheat, barley, rye, oil, wine, cumin and anise were produced in the town. It had three mountains of pines, holm oaks, etc., suitable for civil and nautical construction, which were destined to supply the department of Cádiz. Among the main occupations of the residents was the one known as “arriera”, which consisted of going from one town to another selling and buying what they could. The muleteers of Pozo Alcón were known throughout much of the Andalusian and Levantine geography.
At the end of the twentieth century, there was a progressive emigration from Pozo to different parts of Spain (Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid, Balearic Islands) and Europe (Switzerland, France, Italy). During the summers the town is filled with these people who once lived here but had left the town in search of new opportunities.
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
The Church was built in the middle of the last century on the remains of a previous parish church. The first church built on this spot originated in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was demolished in 1965. It was a rectangular building with the main façade oriented towards Calle Parras. On the left side of its façade there was a large window that illuminated the sacristy, to the right of the building we find the Fuente Taza, an urban symbol of the town. It collapsed supposedly due to the dilapidated state of the church. The parish priest, Don Máximo Marín Dengra, constituted a neighbourhood commission to adopt measures and a solution. His decision was the demolition of the temple and the construction of a new one on the same site. The demolition of the temple began in the first months of 1965. After several years of work, at the end of 1968, the works of the new church were completed, the cost of which was partially covered by the inhabitants of Pozo Alcón. To this day, the bell in church’s tower marks the daily rhythm of the town. Located in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Things to see outside the town
Jardin Botánico de Hornico
The Hornico Botanical Garden is a 32-hectare botanical garden, located in an enclave next to the La Bolera reservoir within the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas Natural Park. It was inaugurated in 1996 and forms part of the structure for the conservation of flora and vegetation of the Ministry of the Environment of Andalusia, integrated in turn by the Conservation Services, the Nursery Network and the Andaluz Germplasm Plant Bank in collaboration with scientific institutions, teachers and other governmental and non-governmental organisations that share the same objectives. This place is the ideal starting point for various itineraries through the interior of the Sierra del Pozo. Located north of the town, off the A-326.
Ermita de San Gregorio
The chapel is of new construction with an unknown origin. According to legend, two Jesuit clergymen were surprised by a storm in which stones the size of a fist fell from the sky. While such a hail storm was passing, one of the clergymen engraved the initials IHS (Jesus, Man and Saviour) on a stone and draw a cross on them, representing the anagram of Jesus Christ. They say that that stone was delivered to the church of La Encarnación, being today its symbol together with a simple and solitary cross on a path of the pilgrimage of San Gregorio. In this place the Misa de Campaña is celebrated in honour of the Niño de la Bola, as San Gregorio is popularly known, and the stone is kissed. Located a kilometre and a half from the town, next to the road that connects Pozo Alcón with the Bolera Reservoir, in the area of Cruz de San Gregorio.
NATURAL AREAS
Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas
With a total surface area of 209,920Ha and covering almost a fifth of Jaén province, this is Spain’s largest protected area and one of its most extensive forested zones. Located in eastern Jaen province, it connects the Sierra Morena and the Subbética mountain ranges. The highest peak in this immense park is Pico Empanada at 2,107m and the entire park is higher than 600m.
Recognising its exceptional ecological importance, it was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1983 and it was deemed a natural park in 1989. First impressions of the park may consist of barren rocky crests and vast pine forests, but the area’s botanical importance within Andalusia is matched only by the Sierra Nevada, with a fifth of the vascular plants in the Iberian peninsula being found in the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park. It is also home to 51 species of mammals, 185 birds, 21 reptiles (including an endemic lizard), 12 amphibians, 11 fish and one of the highest number of butterfly species in the Iberian peninsula, with 112 varieties found here.
Also worth visiting are the four viewpoints; Mirador Peña de Quesada, Mirador de la Alcantarilla, Mirador de Guazalamanco and Mirador del Lirio.
Río Peralta
A beautiful part of the riverbed of the Guadalentín River as it passes through Peralta, also home to the Peralta Intensive Fishing Reserve, spreading along approximately 8 km of river, making this reserve the longest in Andalucia. The giant fig trees become entangled, forming a kind of vegetal cave through which the Peralta springs flow, emerging from the rocks in the form of a cascade. In this place there was a flour mill, today only its ruins remain. It is necessary to highlight the purity and transparency of its high mountain waters and that this river has a permanent and unalterable flow throughout the year, which makes Peralta an ideal place to go fishing in any season of the year. Located just 2.5 km from Pozo Alcón.
GASTRONOMY
Visitors to Pozo Alcón can try traditional dishes such as ensalada de pimientos asados (pepper salad), escalibada de verduras (roasted vegetables), caracoles en salsa (snails) and setas de cardo (wild ceps). Sweet treats include roscos de vino (aniseed biscuits), roscos fritos (doughnuts) and floretas (sweet honey pastries).
Bus Service
There are bus services from Pozo Alcón to Jaén, Úbeda and Granada. More>
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Pozo Alcón are Feria y Fiestas de Santa Ana, Romería de San Gregorio, Semana Santa and Festividad de la Inmaculada Concepción. More>
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Pozo Alcón. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Pozo Alcón is located in the Town Hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Pozo Alcón are Hinojares and Cuevas del Campo.