Guadahortuna is a municipality of the

province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

, in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Spain.

History

Guadahortuna has been populated since prehistoric times. During Moorish

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

the municipality got its name, which means "River of fortune". During this period of time, it served as a border zone where Christian troops would enter Moorish territory in order to harass its inhabitants. In 1486, after the Christian victory over the Moors, queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...

repopulated the municipality with Christians. In 1492, Guadahortuna became part of the city of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

until 1557, when the municipality bought its independence with money from all its inhabitants.

Geography

Guadahortuna is bounded by the province of Jaén to the north, the municipality

Alamedilla Alamedilla is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census ( INE), the city has a population of 811 inhabitants. See also * List of municipalities in Granada Province of Granada, Granada is a provinces of S ...

to the east, the municipalities Torre-Cardela and Píñar to the south and the municipalities Montejícar and

Iznalloz Iznalloz is a small town about 35 km north of Granada, Spain. The town is the main center of a region known as Los Montes Orientales, which comprises about 17 towns and villages spread over the north of the province of Granada. Encompassed w ...

to the west. Guadahortuna is located on the Northeast of the province of Granada. Its highest mountain is Torrecilla's Hill with a height of 1,227 metres. It is located in the area known as La Atalaya. Other important mountains are Altos del Navazuelo, Vergara, Arrieros' Hill and Vertientes' Hill. The municipality is located in Guadahortuna's valley. Guadahortuna's river has its source in Montejícar. It passes through Montejícar, Guadahortuna, Alamedilla, Alicún de Ortega, Dehesas de Guadix and eventually it flows into

Guadiana Menor The Guadiana Menor River is a river in southern Spain, one of the main tributary, tributaries of the Guadalquivir, Guadalquivir River, on its left bank. It has a total length of 182 km (including the length of its upper stretches known as th ...

river. From its source to its mouth, it travels 52 km.

References

External links

Municipalities in the Province of Granada {{Granada-geo-stub