Bakers' Cross Trail

This trail winds through the mountainous landscape of the Sierra de Albayate, an area of great natural interest, but its archaeological and ethnographic sign...

Itinerary description This trail winds through the mountainous landscape of the Sierra de Albayate, an area of great natural interest; however, its archaeological and ethnographic significance is no less important, the latter being in the midst of an irreversible process of disappearance. In addition to the plant and animal species typical of the Mediterranean forest, along the route we can observe unique geological features, such as the travertine platform or ‘balcony’ at La Huertezuela (a much smaller version of the Tajo del Adarve in Priego) or various outcrops of igneous rock, clearly distinct from the dominant limestone that makes up the bulk of the mountain range, from which greenish-toned sands were derived that were widely used in traditional masonry. The main place name of the area is Peñas Doblas, a reference to the existence there of a medieval Al-Andalus archaeological site, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, which formed part of the region’s resistance against the establishment of the Umayyad state of Córdoba, represented by the Islamic city of Priego (Madinat Baguh). This rural settlement, now deserted, appears in historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries as Ciudad or Prado de Obras, referring to the walls and structures that were still visible. The evolution of the place name, according to this evidence, would be as follows: De Obras — Dobras — Doblas. The route offers fine examples of vernacular architecture, now in ruins or disused, including farmhouses, threshing floors (such as those at the Eras Altas farmhouse) and fountains, some of which were built in a cyclopean style reminiscent of prehistoric megalithic architecture. The now-vanished Cruz de los Panaderos is yet another example of this mountain tradition, in this case linked to popular piety. It was at this spot that, in the years of the black market (illegal trade) following the Civil War, bakers from the Priego and Algarinejo areas would gather to trade in flour. The historic paths have been widened or altered to the point of disappearing, with the exception of the footpaths for the passage of livestock, animals and people (unsuitable for carriages) that cross the mountain range, making use of the passes, and which date back to the Middle Ages. Our route runs partly along one of these ancient paths.