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Pujerra Home | History
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Track
By Chris Wawn
The easiest access to the hidden Rio Genal
is a track linking Pujerra to Juzcar,
crossing the river at Molino del Puente. (GPS 36*
37' 10"N 5* 9' 14"W Google
maps) It's a beautiful and well-watered spot with plenty of
(controlled) trout fishing, although the ruins are all that can
be seen of a former village, which was important enough to be the
centre of a large rural parish. Look out for Cortijo las Salas at
km3 on the Igualeja to Pujerra road, as this is near the unmarked
junction (GPS 36* 37' 00"N 5* 8' 26"W Google
maps) for the track the start of the steep descent to the river.
The track is generally kept in good condition and can be navigated
by a saloon car without problem.
The river crossing is now a recreational area in the summer. The
first legend linked to this spot dates from the 7th century, with
the Visigothic King Wamba.
This harsh environment of the present Pujerra village
site only seems to have been a place of refuge. In the early days
of the Moorish occupation, they would have only been interested
in exploiting the more accessible and fertile lands near the river,
before the arrival of the Berber colonists.
The 1560 local inquisition does not record any candidates
and by 1570 it seems that although this was the seat of a parish,
the village by the river vanished from the map. What is left is
a few traces offering a clue to the past. The name neatly translates
as Molino de Capilla, the mill of the chapel. A
site visit will immediately show that a substantial pack horse bridge
once crossed the river here, with a small building on it. Common
in the medieval period, this may have been a small shrine. Next
to the bridge stands the ruins of the mill, nowadays badly eroded
on one side by the course of the river. Other remains of the former
village can be found further upstream though the site of the medieval
settlement and its church has now gone.
The old ford (now raised so that it is only a ford
after heavy rain) over the present-day river makes a pleasant stop
when exploring this area. What now seems to be a deserted place
was once full of activity and it is hard to imagine how important
this river crossing was in its heyday.
The track climbs up the other side of the valley through both oak
and chestnut trees. It is used by many local vehicles saving 15km
from the tarmac route. It can be traversed in a car and joins the
MA518 in Juzcar at an unmarked
junction. (GPS 36* 37' 24"N 5* 10' 10"W Google
maps)
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