Goat at the Jarcas Spring

Historical routes featuring Neolithic and Iberian remains, natural springs and ancient Roman quarries offer a unique experience for tourists.

There are three main paths that we will explore on this route: the old Gaena path, the Borrallo path and the old Rute path. However, over time, through use and local tradition, they have come to be known by other names, such as the Camino del Tesoro, the Camino de Jarcas and the Camino de San Marcos. The Camino del Tesoro owes its name to the stream of the same name that runs parallel to the path for several kilometres before crossing it shortly before joining the Castellar and Bailalobos footpaths. This is the path that traditionally, and until the construction of the new road, connected the town of Cabra with its hamlet of Gaena; it is no coincidence that much of the current route of this road runs entirely alongside the public path. The second of these takes its most popular name from the Jarcas spring and the Mina de Jarcas cave, one of the sites with the deepest history in the municipality of Cabra, as remains dating back to the Neolithic period have been found there, as well as, directly opposite, the nearby Cerro de la Merced with the remains of an Iberian fortification from the 2nd century BC. The water from the Jarcas spring has been used for livestock via drinking troughs and even in stone wash houses frequented by women from nearby farmsteads. The name ‘Camino de Borrallo’ derives from a farmstead situated near the Jarcas area. The third of the paths in question is known as the Camino de San Marcos, which connects the town of Cabra with Los Pelaos; however, it was commonly used by travellers walking or riding between Cabra and Priego de Córdoba. The name San Marcos comes from the bridge providing access to this path from Cabra, used to cross over the railway line. Among the main points of interest along this path, we highlight the area of Los Frailes, where an ancient Roman-era quarry shelters a recently restored old pillar that feeds the fountain also known as Los Frailes. There are many footpaths in the area that have fallen into disuse and are now lost, such as the Los Frailes path (or La Merced path), many sections of the Castellar path, the Jarcas path, the Bailalobos path and the Duque path.