Montefrío

Historia

Montefrio is a municipality in the province of Granada. The ruins of a Moorish castle sit near the highest point. Being built midway between the Sierra de Priego and Sierra Parapanda, and commanding the open valley between these ranges, it became one of the chief frontier fortresses of the Moors in the 15th century.The climate of Montefrío is a continental Mediterranean type. The economy is typically agrarian, with olives as the main crop. The relatively limited industry revolves around agricultural processing such as oil and dairy products. The population is reported as 6,688, with 3,337 men and 3,351 women. Near the town is a vast archaeological site known as Las Peñas de los Gitanos, famous for its prehistoric tombs and remains of Roman and Visgothic settlements.Montefrío's main road has many shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. It leads on to Plaza Virgen de Los Remedios which then leads on to Plaza de España.Montefrio's primary church is the only round church in the whole of Spain since its recapture from Arabian control.GeographyMontefrío is in the northwest of the province of Granada, situated in the region of Loja. The township occupies about 254 km2 and has a density of 25.37 inhabitants / km ². Its geographical coordinates are 37 ° 19 'N, 04 ° 01' W. It is situated at an altitude of 834 m and 57 km from the capital of Granada. Montefrio is limited on the north with the municipalities of Priego de Córdoba and Almedinilla (Córdoba) and Alcalá la Real (Jaén); the southeast with íllora, on the south by Villanueva Mesia and Stump; and on the southwest by Loja and Algarinejo, the latter belonging to the province of Granada.DistrictsThe municipality counts with the annexed of Lojilla. This small village is located about 7 km from the village. The only access is to Lojilla is by the road between Montefrío and Alcalá la Real, from the junction at “La venta del conejo”. Its altitude is 994.3 meters and the terrain has a slope of 20.89%. Its population is 79 inhabitants. They celebrate his feast on 20 January in honor of its patron saint San Sebastian, and on July 25, the feast of Santiago. They highlight the festival of San Sebastián. The amazing thing about this festival is that locals walk though the streets of the village dressed in colorful costumes, hats with bells and ribbons which are also colored. Jumping, dancing and begging passers towards the cost of the party. It was ancient custom that were getting farmhouse cottage in cakes, oil and melons. The beginning is in the late afternoon and after a day of olive picking and last until the early hours of the night. Flush (coffee with anise) and typical local products such as chorizo and morcilla grilled are taken.