Válor: Trails, History and the Sierra Nevada

The Sendero del Agua runs through the protected Sierra Nevada area and is closely associated with historic irrigation channels, springs and washing places.

Nature and Trails

Route F connects Válor with the Fuente de Las Primeras Aguas and begins near the centre of Válor. The Válor–Nechite section of the GR-7 is a hiking trail approximately 1.5 kilometres long that follows the service path of the Acequia del Lunes.

Alto de San Juan is a 2,788-metre-high peak on Válor’s northern municipal boundary. The Río Nechite rises in the Sierra Nevada; its middle slopes are home to holm oak stands and riverside vegetation. The Río Válor flows from the local peaks of the Sierra Nevada through steep sections partly bordered by rocky cliffs. Its gallery vegetation consists mainly of willows and poplars.

The Castaño de la Cebadilla is a more than 200-year-old chestnut tree that stands on a rock, grows on the right bank of the Río Válor and is one of the largest specimens in the municipality. The Mirador de La Jarea consists of two threshing floors arranged in terraces and offers views over large parts of the Sierras de la Contraviesa, Gádor and Nevada.

History and Townscape

The Casa de Abén Humeya dates from the 16th century and belonged to Fernando de Córdoba y Válor, who was known as Abén Humeya. He was the first leader of the Morisco rebellion in La Alpujarra from 1568 to 1570.

The Iglesia de Válor was originally built in the mid-16th century and preserves the oldest Camarín in La Alpujarra. The Vía Crucis de Válor consists of wrought-iron crosses on the façades of various houses. It is one of the few Stations of the Cross in the comarca that still preserve their original elements.

Castillejo de Válor preserves the remains of the walls of a fortified settlement from the early Islamic period that was inhabited from the 9th to the 11th century. The Barrio de Cantarranas is a medieval quarter dating from the 10th to the 15th century and preserves features of the comarca’s medieval Muslim architecture, including porches, tinaos and adarves.

Tajo de las Ventanas is a medieval group of caves carved into the rock and connected to the former castle above. The caves may have been used to store grain.

The Ermita de la Virgen de Lourdes is located in the centre of Válor; a small cemetery is attached to its southern side. Puente de la Tableta is a Moorish brick bridge made of reddish bricks, with a single slightly pointed arch opening, and is located on the GR-7 section between Válor and Yegen. It can be reached from the western side of Válor or from the Ermita de la Virgen de Lourdes.

Culture and Festivals

A performance of Moros y Cristianos takes place in Válor on 15 September and is based on the uprising of the Granada Moriscos at the end of 1568. During the Baile de las Ánimas, people walk through the streets with their instruments on 25 December and collect donations for the patron saint festivals.

At the Fuente de Cuesta Viñas, people from Yegen and Válor celebrate traditional festivals on 25 July and 15 August.

Other destinations: Pinos Puente, Cúllar Vega, Picena, Jerez Del Marquesado, La Mamola, Gor, Pulianas, Jayena

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