Subbetica
El Higueral
El Higueral is situated in the north-east of the municipality, nestled on the slopes of the Monte and Sierrezuela hills; it borders the neighbouring municipality of Priego de Córdoba and Algarinejo in Granada.
The place name derives from the ‘fig tree’. The first known reference to the village of El Higueral appears in Latin as “aldeam quae dicitur Ficulnea” (the village known as El Higueral). Although there are remains from the Roman period, evidence of settlement in this village dates back to prehistoric times, with the discovery of flint tools in the Higueral stream.
The surrounding landscape consists of hills of varying heights, planted with olive trees, interspersed with areas of holm oaks and Mediterranean scrub, including gall oaks, rosemary, gorse and junipers. The abundance of streams such as the Cañuelo, the Estanco, the Salina and the Higueral gives rise to a rich ecosystem, notable for its diverse flora, including a wide variety of plants such as dandelions, plantains, psyllium, irises and water lilies, as well as poplars and reed beds. Two areas of great forest wealth stand out in the village: La Sierrezuela and El Monte.
The most notable architectural features are the Church of El Carmen, the Public Washhouse and a number of small fountains (El Pilarillo, El Camarín, etc.).
The church is situated in Plaza del Carmen; built in 1965, it is the work of the architect Carlos Sáez de Santa María y de los Ríos, and inside stands the statue that gives the church its name.
The Public Washhouse evokes not-too-distant times when these places were a private spot and an essential meeting place for women who came to wash their clothes. It represents the memory of human activities that have faded from our collective memory, having fallen into disuse, yet it bears witness to the development of agricultural, livestock and social activities of great importance from an ethnographic perspective.
It celebrates its Royal Fair on the third weekend of September, in honour of its patron saint, the Virgin of Carmen. It also celebrates the feast of St James on 25 July.