Cuevas de Lituergol
The Lituergo caves are houses next to the Guadalquivir River, which served to shelter many families from the town. At the peak of their use, there were more than fifty caves, and each had a living room, kitchen and bedroom. Before the Spanish Civil War, they were already inhabited by some families, but it was after the War that a large number of people came to make them their own. Because of the limited machinery available at the time, many of the caves took many months to build even the entranceway. The caves were painted with lime and blue, and the floors were made of peat, known as ‘crema para las cucharas’ (cream for spoons), because it was used to wash cutlery when detergent was not yet available. Simón was the Mayor of the caves, respected by all the locals, not least for showing his face during the visits of the Civil Guards. There was no shortage of water thanks to a natural spring that was born inside the mound that covered the caves. In the cave of ‘Juanillo el Quinto’, there was dancing every week, to the rhythm of his accordion. They even put on a play in one of the largest caves, and made the costumes out of paper for the occasion.