Cuevas del Almanzora
Population circa 10,700
Market day - Tuesday and Thursday
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Situated in the fertile Almanzora Valley downstream from a defunct dam, Cuevas del Almanzora is one of the oldest of Almeria's towns with a rich history and a wonderful climate, promising more than 300 sunny days a year and a close proximity to beautiful beaches. Taking it's name from the numerous artificial caves in the surrounding hills, many of which are still inhabited by poor and wealthy alike, it was once a very affluent mining centre when silver was discovered in the Sierra Almagrera mountains in the early 19th century.
Evidence of it's glory days can be seen all over town: elegant homes of the mining magnates, grand churches, avenues and statues, especially in the Plaza de la Constitución and around the town Hall.
At the top of the town sits a castillo, a fortress/palace from the 16th century originally built in the Gothic style but expanded in 1770 in a neoclassical design. The grounds house several current-day functions.
The Casa de la Tercia, a granary built in 1773, now houses the Cuevas Archaeology Museum and the Archive and Municipal Library.
The Marquis Palace, the two-storey mansion built as a symbol of military power of the Marquis de Vélez is now home to the Museum of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture. The oldest construction is the Torre del Homenaje (keep), thought to be medieval, which is attached to the palace by a long-gone drawbridge.
Other places of interest include the Parish Church de la Encarnación (18th century), the Convent of San Antonio (1651) and Hermitage of San Pedro de Alclalá. The entire area is abundant with prehistoric reminders of the area's long past, especially the Fuente Álamo in the foothills of the Sierra de Almagro, inhabited from 1900 BC to 1300 BC.
