Matián
Matián is a classic example of an almost abandoned village and farming community, located 6km south of Venta Quemada. It once had a population of 100, but now consists of just two families. Most of the depopulation occurred in the 1960’s. Electricity only arrived in the village in 1988, and even today, not all the houses have running water.
History
The early history of the area stems from the location being near an important Roman road. In the middle ages, this area south of the Sierra de María and Sierra de Marmon was forested and known as the Campo de Chirivel (Chirivel Plateau). During the thirteenth century, the region was on the eastern border of the Nasrid Emirate of Granada alongside the Christian Kingdom of Murcia. It was only lightly farmed and as a potentially dangerous frontier location, the area was depopulated. More>
Things to see
There is little to see in the hamlet – an unusually shaped chapel sits adjacent to the houses, but this is closed.
Just to the east of the village, there is a spring from which the Rio Cúllar originates. Next to this is an old public washing area. There is a pond with various types of reeds. Of all the old springs in the area, it is the only one that sill flows, whilst the others have dried up.
Things to see outside the village
The archaeological site of El Malagón is also located in the municipality of Cúllar, situated on a gentle elevation of the Chirivel plateau. It is a Copper Age settlement belonging to the group of Los Millares and is dated between 2565 and 2200 BC. More>