ARQUILLOS
by Saskia Mier
The main economic activity of Arquillos is the cultivation of olive groves, and it is an ideal destination for lovers of nature. In the area of Llano de las Hormigas, in the middle of the Sierra Morena, is the Camping de Pedralejos, where tourists can rest from the hustle and bustle of the city. The town has paths prepared for hiking and an Olympic shooting range in the mountains. It has about 1,800 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The oldest documents in which the town of Arquillos is mentioned date back to 1254, and reference Alfonso X el Sabio handing over the village to Baeza for protection and defense. Other documents from this period imply that the town is Islamic in origin.
Known as Venta de los Arquillos, it appears cited in the itinerary of the most important and best Spanish roads of 1576 by Alonso de Meneses to go from Valencia or Barcelona, to Seville by road on the route from Almansa to Córdoba. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción
The church was built in 1769 with a facade typical of eighteenth-century colonial architecture. It has a simple neoclassical portal crowned by a pediment that stylizes its straight lines. Above it rises a graceful belfry which is peculiarly articulated in two bodies; in the lower one, two twin holes are opened to turn bells, while the upper body, with a single bell hole, loses thickness to culminate in a triangular pediment, which in turn houses a tiny bell. The rehabilitation works of this parish complex began in August 2003, in the episcopate of Don Santiago García Aracil, and were completed in May 2005, the same month in which Don Ramón del Hoyo López was appointed Bishop of Jaén. He blessed the new facilities on May 28th 2006, in the presence of the Pastor Don Fernado Bravo Miralles. In 2008, the main altar and the central dome were restored. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Torre del Reloj
The clock tower has a square floor plan and starts from a plinth. Of its two bodies, the first is twice the height and in it there is a semicircular arch with cushioned voussoirs. A triple molding separates the first from the second body, in which the clock, a small square window and Doric pilasters appear at the ends. On the cornice stands an iron craft structure, added in 1884 to house the bell and weather vane. In the eighteenth century, the hours were marked by the church bells. Raising a municipal tower with the sole function of indicating the time was unusual at the time and symbolised the confrontation between civil and ecclesiastical powers. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Centro de Interpretación Pablo de Olavide y las Nuevas Poblaciones
The Interpretation Centre uses panels and new audiovisual technologies to narrate the era that gave rise to the birth of the New Populations, the role of Pablo de Olavide in the project and its connection with Enlightenment principles, the materialisation in Arquillos and throughout the Sierra Morena, the subsequent persecution of the enlightened, until the drafting of the first democratic constitution in Spain in 1812, as well as the development of the municipality of Arquillos from its origins to the present day within the region of El Condado. Located on Avenida de Linares.
BUS SERVICE
There are various bus services from Arquillos. More>
GASTRONOMY
When visiting Arquillos. try local dishes such as gachastortas (wild hare stew), ajoharina (potato mash served with anchovies and clams), potaje sanantonero (chicken or turkey stew), sopa de albóndigas (meatball stew), merluza con guisantes (cod with peas) and moje de bacalao (cod stew). Sweet treats include huevos moles (flan or crème caramel) and pericones (aniseed biscuits).
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Arquillos are Fiestas de San Antón, Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol and Fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción. More>
WEATHER FOARECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Arquillos. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Arquillos is located in the Town Hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Arquillos are Navas de San Juan, La Carolina and Linares.