THE ALPUJARRAS

Much of the traditional way of life remains unchanged within Las Alpujarras: herds of goats wander the hill-sides and mules and donkeys are still widely used both for transport and farming as the steep slopes of much of the lane makes the use of machinery a difficult and occasionally dangerous option. The typical farm will include land on a number irrigated terraces where a cornucopia of crops are grown on soil that is reputed to be amongst the richest in Spain. In the upper reaches of the Alpujarras the main crops are cereals, beans, potatoes, walnuts, chestnuts, apples, pears, raspberries, cherries, etc. Lower down, the range of fruit becomes more typically Mediterranean: olives, maize, oranges, grapes, almonds, figs, black mulberry, pomegranates are all grown. At low altitudes and closer to the coast the choice becomes positively tropical and crops such as pineapples, avocado pears, kiwi fruit and even bananas all flourish.

One of the glories of the Alpujarras is the almond blossom season. This can happen any time from January to March, but, at its height, the air is filled with delicious scent, and huge areas are transformed almost overnight by the white/pink almond flowers. The drab of winter is replaced by the first widespread sight of spring (many visitors time their visits to coincide with this magical time). Make no mistake however, the traditional lifestyle although undoubtedly picturesque in many of its aspects is also a very hard life of what is essentially subsistence farming, with much back-breaking manual work.

On a typical day in a typical village, a casual glance will show old men sitting in the square talking, occasionally interrupting their conversations to pass the time of day with the ladies who have just bought supplies from the small fleet of vehicles that serve as mobile shops to the more remote mountain villages. Each van with its own distinctive sounding horn, to announce its arrival. On the cooler days, the evocative smell of burning rosemary, thyme, lavender bushes & fruit wood can still be found in the villages. The wood is burnt by the village women in a braseros (a small brazier) in the open just outside their homes. When the flames have died down and only the glowing embers remain they are taken in doors, once they have been covered with a thin layer of ashes (this stops the brazier from smoking, and prevents the production potentially harmful gases). The braseros is then placed under a round table covered with a tablecloth where it acts as a very effective heater whilst the family eats or just sits and chats around the table. Occasionally, the local ladies can still be seen boiling their linen in huge pots outside their homes. Around Christmas these pots come into use again, when the family pig is prepared and cooked in them. The Alpujarrans use of the pig amply demonstrates the old adage that the 'oink' is the only part of a pig that is not edible and the region is justly famous for its jamon (dry-cured ham), blood sausages and chorizo.

In the villages, the houses are mainly white-washed with flat roofs. The roofs built using stone slabs laid flat onto close-packed beams of chestnut. These slabs are then covered with a mixture of shards of slate, launa. The launa is a local manganese-rich soil and in combination with the slate and water forms a layer that will harden in the sun to produce a (largely) rain-proof outer layer to the roof. Another recognisably regional aspect of the architecture of the Alpujarran house is the chimney: they are typically circular in section, up to about a metre in height and topped by a slate to protect the fire-place below from the rain.

In the recent past there was a major exodus of the young who saw no way to make a living and raise a family in the area. This trend is beginning to reverse, largely due to the influx of visitors to the area, and the next generation is now less likely to leave their homes for the cities. A tangible sign of this commitment to the area are the number of new buildings, shops, craft shops, hostels and restaurants that are opening up in the villages where previously little changed from year to year.

The Sierra Nevada mountains provide also a number of important sites for a wide range of flora, mostly Alpine, which is unique to the area. Two of the best known species are the mountain chamomile and the Mulhacén poppy. In addition to the unique there is also the spectacular: a wide range of trees grow in the higher regions of the mountains (evergreen holm oak, chestnut, walnut and pine). These provide cover and habitat for the abundant wild life. The large mammals include wild boar, hare and mountain goats. The birds include include eagles, goshawks and buzzards as well as partridge and a wide variety of the smaller song-birds.

A wide variety of active outdoor activities (climbing, mountain biking, skiing, paragliding, horse riding) are available to those who visit the Alpujarran area of the Sierra Nevada. The ramblers that reach the higher altitudes will find a largely unchanged and largely undiscovered region where the routes and paths of the Moors still provide a route through the spectacular scenery of the high mountain regions. There is much to recommend the region to those who wish to pursue less physical activities: classes and residential courses are available in areas such as photography, painting, Spanish dance and creative writing. The area has inspired a number of foreign writers: from Richard Ford in the early 19th century, to Chris Stewart in the early 21st. The Aplujarras of the twenties and thirties are beautifully described in 'South from Granada' by Gerald Brennan (a peripheral member of the Bloomsbury group who lived in the village of Yegen) whist the flavour of life here now is captured by the twin best-sellers 'Driving over Lemons' and 'A Parrot in the Pepper Tree' by Chris Stewart who still lives near Orgiva.