Villanueva
de Tapia Andalucia Spain
Villanueva
de Tapia Andalucia Spain
Villanueva de Tapia
HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
The municipal district of Villanueva de Tapia is
situated at the western border of the Antequera region, on the limits of the
provinces of Granada and Cordoba. Its territory offers a landscape of smooth
reliefs, which are only altered by the presence of some hills and above all
with the penetration, on the southern border of the municipality, of the
Sierra del Pedroso (1.025 m.). With the exception of the area which
corresponds to this sierra, in which
there are remains of old holm-oaks and pine groves with scrubland among rocks,
the main part of the surroundings of the municipal district corresponds to
olive groves and some cereal fields which are generally to the north, between
the road which leads to the Iznajar marsh and the limits with the province of
Cordoba.
After the Christian conquest, the lands which now form the municipality of Villanueva de Tapia were the object of lawsuits between Iznajar (Cordoba), and Archidona, who meant for these lands to remain in their respective domains. From there, this municipality got its name of "Entredicho", (interdict) by which it is also known. That is how the place is named in documents from the 16th century in Iznajar's Municipal Files.
In
order to end the problem, the advisers of the Royal Treasury decided that the
polemic district of the El Entredicho would form part of the Royal Inheritance,
which occured on the 20th of June of 1602. But later on, Felipe III, on
considering that the new lands of the Crown were not very cost-effective for
its heritage, decided to sell them to a memeber of the Supreme Counsel of
Castilla, called Pedro de Tapia. Thus, this town emerges in the 17th century
under the patronage of the counts of Tapia with the same name it is known as
today.
Although it doesn’t have any especially significant monuments, the town has a typical Andalusian enchantment with its steep streets and whitewashed houses. Amidst the houses, there is an old inn, Santa Barbara which has a special significance, although it is today a private property.
There are scattered remains of the Roman and Arab presence in the area.
The parish church stands out among the white houses in the town because of its colour and height. It has a slender tower with two bodies, and ends with the typical four sided roof adorned with coloured tiles.
Villanueva de Tapia Andalucia Spain