Mecina Fondales – Hiking and Historic Townscapes

The GR-142, a linear long-distance hiking trail, runs through Mecina-Fondales. It is 144 kilometres long and runs from Lanjarón to Fiñana. This trail was officially approved and signposted in 2001. In the municipality of La Taha, the routes are signposted on the ground. They are supplemented by seven downloadable brochures. The linear route and its specified length give the GR-142 a distinctly different framework from the shorter municipal connections around the settlements.

Hiking

Municipal Route 6 connects Mecina and Ferreirola. Its route passes via the Escarihuela de Fondales, Cerro Corona and the Escarihuela de Panjuila. Signposted hiking trails connect the three settlements of Mecina, Mecinilla and Fondales. This network of paths thus brings together a long-distance route of supraregional importance, a connection between two villages and local paths between three settlements. The names of the waypoints preserve the topographical designations of the respective route.

Townscape

The urban layout of Mecina is adapted to the slopes of the terrain. Mecina is arranged around a communal threshing floor. From this threshing floor, the streets radiate downhill. Mecina’s traditional streetscape includes tinaos and galleries. Passages and alleyways are also part of the traditional streetscape.

Area 2 of the protected historic site encompasses Mecina’s historic centre and the village’s terraced cultivation zone. In Mecina, the traditionally built settlement areas and the agriculturally used land form an inseparable protected heritage system. The historic area of La Tahá comprises six settlement units. Mecina-Fondales belongs to these six units. The protected area therefore links the built-up historic centre with the terraced cultivated areas and classifies both as interconnected components of the historic site.

History

The church of Mecina-Fondales has a single-nave, rectangular nave. It has side chapels. A tower is attached to the chancel. Work was carried out on this church in 1536. The building may be the former mosque building that was consecrated as a church. In 1564, the interior was decorated with glazed ceramic ornamentation. The building history thus links the documented work on the building in 1536 with the later-mentioned interior furnishings from 1564.

The former schools of Mecina now house the Centro de Estudios de Sierra Nevada y la Alpujarra, or CESNA for short. This cultural centre is intended for meetings, exhibitions and various events. The public washhouse Lavadero público de Mecina-Fondales is located in Mecina-Fondales.

Other Places

Another place within La Tahá is Ferreirola.

Water and Paths

At the edge of Mecina, a path leads to the Alberca Grande. The Alberca Grande is a large water reservoir. It regulates the irrigation times in this area. It also regulates the irrigation allocations there. Mecina has a spring with iron-rich water. Water therefore appears here both as part of the local infrastructure and as a characteristic feature of a spring in the village.

The Puente Romano crosses the Trevélez River. It was part of the old royal road to Almería. The remains of an old grain mill can be seen beside the Puente Romano. The structure known as the Puente Romano probably dates from the Islamic period.

For the higher-level travel overview: La Mamola.