Otura: Views of the Vega, Mudéjar Culture and Suspiro del Moro

Otura is situated on a high promontory, from where you can overlook the Vega.

The Puerto del Suspiro del Moro, a mountain pass, lies within the municipality of Otura.

Culture

The Iglesia Parroquial Virgen de la Paz is a 16th-century Mudéjar church built on the site of an Arab hermitage. Its interior includes an 18th-century altarpiece of considerable sculptural and artistic value.

Otura’s Vía Crucis comprises twelve stations. Eleven of them each have a cross. The Calvary station features the characteristic three crosses.

The Acueducto El Arco is considered Otura’s only civil monument. It carries water from the Acequia de Otura.

The Monumento conmemorativo al caballero 24 is a memorial dating from 1815. It stands at the entrance to the Centro Sociocultural Federico García Lorca.

The Casa del Marqués de Dílar is located on Calle Acequia. In the 1940s and 1950s, it housed two separate classrooms: one for girls and the other for boys.

Festivals and Food

At the San Blas festival, breads and Roscas are blessed. The breads and Roscas are brought by residents of Otura and even by residents of nearby municipalities.

The San Marcos tradition is also known as “Ahorcar al diablo” and the “Day of the Hornazos.” It includes the Hornazo, a bread roll fried in oil with a boiled egg in the middle. It is celebrated in the countryside.

Otura’s patron saint festival in honor of the Virgen de la Aurora takes place on September 8.

Gastronomy

The Feria de la Tapa “Suspiro del Moro” is a gastronomic event in Otura. Ten bars and restaurants took part in it.

Landscape and Hiking

The Fuente de la Teja is a natural area in the gorges of the Río Dílar below the Molino Alto.

A large pilgrimage used to take place at the Fuente de la Teja every July. Over time, this pilgrimage was lost.

The Ruta Suspiro del Moro hiking route described in Otura follows paths through the agricultural areas of the Vega, along acequias and through areas of the former tram network. It leads to a landscape associated with the legend of the Suspiro del Moro.

The short version of the Ruta Suspiro del Moro is eight kilometers long, moderately difficult and estimated to take approximately two and a half hours to walk.

Other Places

Discover other places via La Rábita, Dólar, Huétor Vega, Zagra, Cúllar, Huéscar, Cijuela and Lojilla.

Events

The Apache Hybrid Race was announced for March 28 at the Pabellón Municipal “El Deyre” in Otura for the second year in a row. The fitness competition combines eight 400-meter runs with eight alternating functional exercises.

To the higher-level travel overview: Granada.