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Posted by on Jun 29, 2015 in Blog |

Town of Father Pedro Murillo Velarde

Town of Father Pedro Murillo Velarde

History
Before it was called only Andarax. It is a landscape full of trees and water due to its high rainfall. There are up to 16 different types of fountains scattered through the village.

El Zagal, last king of Almeria, spent some time here after the Capitulations of Baza, Guadix and Almeria in 1489. It was also the official residence of Boabdil after he left Granada once he had handed it over to the Catholic Monarchs. He would later leave definitively for Africa.

The first Moorish revolt in 1500 was especially dramatic for the people of Laujar as they were hiding inside the mosque and it was set on fire. Later the entire Moorish population was obliged to convert to Christianity or leave the kingdom.

In this village Fernando de Valor, Aben Humeya, was assassinated. He had been chosen as King of the Moors, in this very place, and they had rebelled in 1568. Aben Aboo also lived here, the nephew and murderer of the above-mentioned, another of the leaders of the Moorish rebellion. Two years later, the rebellion would be put down by Juan of Austria with the expulsion of the Moors from the Kingdom of Granada. This village, like many others, would be left deserted and in later years repopulation would be carried out with people from outside the Kingdom of Granada.

Nowadays Laujar is experiencing good times due to programmes to develop the Alpujarra being undertaken by different administrations. The importance of rural tourism should be mentioned; an activity that in its turn affects the agroalimentary industry and handicrafts. This all offers a promising future for this village.

Eminent citizens
Francisco Villaespesa Martin, poet.
Pedro Murillo Velarde, Jesuit historian.
Florentino Castañeda, historian.

Source: http://www.andalucia.org/en/destinations/provinces/almeria/municipalities/laujar-de-andarax/history/