Guía de Benalup-Casas Viejas

In this guide we will learn about the wide tourist offer of Benalup-Casas Viejas.

Benalup-Casas Viejas is located within the “La Janda” region and in a privileged area within the province, occupying the center of the southern half of it, being a bridge between the Sierra de Cádiz and the marshes of Barbate; In addition to being the gateway to the Alcornocales Natural Park.

We find ourselves in an environment of great geographical heterogeneity, clearly differentiating three areas; the Mesa, the Sierra and the Vega del Barbate; and thanks to the abundance of water in the area, this has always been an ideal place for the development of life. So much so that in the vicinity of the town is the Tajo de las Figuras Rock Complex, an archaeological site in which the representations and remains found there demonstrate that the Benalup-Casas Viejas area was inhabited thousands of years ago. This extensive prehistoric period is one of the most significant moments in the past and in the history of the municipality.

In 711 the famous battle of Janda took place. The historiographical controversy about the place where it occurred is well-known; The most accepted currently places it near the Janda lagoon, although they do not agree on its exact location, with the one that places it south of the current Benalup-Casas Viejas being the one that has the most supporters.

After the battle, this area was included in the heart of Medina. In the area there was a dispersed settlement whose core was a defensive tower. This tower built by the Muslims and its alcaria was called Ben-alud (Torre de Benalup or Torre de la “Morita”, today). Nothing is known about the time of its construction, but we can talk about its use as a defensive and surveillance place, and as a strategic point for communication.

Muslim domination ended in the mid-s. XIII, but it is not until the s. XVI, with a favorable economic situation, when the scattered settlement existing in the area tends to grow. From those dates there is talk of the creation of a hermitage on the site of Casas Viejas founded by the clergyman Friar Domingo de Tebas in 1555. It is with this hermitage and the existence of an inn, when for the first time people begin to talk about the site of Casas Old

Until the first third of the s. XIX, historiography “passes” by in Casas Viejas, with the exception of the appearance in the area of ​​the Discalced Carmelites, who settled in the area from 1713, where a large monastery was built. They will remain there until 1835.

It is in the 20th century where we find the most outstanding event in the history of Benalup-Casas Viejas and for which, unfortunately, it has gone down in history, the events that occurred in January 1933, when the proclamation of the libertarian communism, and then, once the forces of order arrived, a series of events that led to the burning of a hut and the death of the burned occupants and later a raid through the town and the murder of those arrested in front of the remains smoke from the burned hut. These events caused the fall of the Azaña government and are considered one of the antecedents that led to the Spanish Civil War.

The harsh Francoist repression and the dependence on Medina-Sidonia cut the wings of the growth of the municipality, which will see its population, economy and infrastructure take off since the late 80s, but especially after independence as a municipality on March 20, 1991. , currently becoming a point of reference in the province not only for its history, but also for its attractive natural environment, its gastronomy or its unique corners.

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