The Road to Villanueva

The Road to Villanueva

A rural setting featuring historic farmhouses, a fountain and a stream. Ideal for exploring the agricultural and cultural heritage and enjoying scenic routes.
The Cortijo de Villanueva is one of the main farmsteads in the municipality of Écija. Such is its importance that it lends its name both to the spring that supplies water to the immediate surrounding countryside and to the stream which, rising from the Fuente de Majaral in the heart of the Sierra de Camarena, flows through the estate’s grounds and runs close to its main building. Traditionally, this entire area is known as Villanueva, divided into Villanueva Alta and Villanueva Baja. Similarly, some recognise the presence of two Villanueva farmsteads, the upper and lower ones, although the former is also known as the Cortijo de la Juez. Dedicated primarily to the buying and selling of olives for oil production, these buildings reached their heyday, like all similar farmsteads in the area, when agricultural work required the continuous presence of teams of seasonal workers for long periods to harvest the olives, as well as the presence of caretakers or farm managers responsible for looking after not only the estate but also the building throughout the year. The shift in agricultural work towards greater mechanisation, as well as the movement of this workforce towards other, better-paid jobs, led to many of these buildings falling into disuse, putting a very significant part of our historical, ethnographic and cultural heritage at risk of disappearing. This route aims to highlight precisely this: the existence of these sites, which were fundamental to the socio-economic development of this municipality and, consequently, its population, and which it is essential to understand and acknowledge. Furthermore, in relation to obsolete and lost infrastructure, this route follows the old Nueva Carteya road, which was later replaced by the current road linking Cabra with Doña Mencía, from where the forthcoming construction of the Olivar motorway is planned.