A strategic fortified route between the Guadalquivir River and the Kingdom of Granada (Spain)

The modern notion of landscape aims to find its inner structure by means of dynamic visions provided by panoramas and itineraries. These prove to be particularly useful when applied to the analysis of riverscapes and ancient fortified routes. From the perspective of natural processes, the River Guadalbullón flows along a narrow valley with a variety of landforms and topographical features. From the cultural point of view, the river was the borderline between the Muslim territories and the Christian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages. They were linked by means of an ancient royal road that was recently transformed into a highway from Madrid to Málaga, thereby subjecting the landscape to considerable strain. The old route is still in use and dotted with castles, atalayas, lodgings, bridges and watermills as described by the travellers since the 17th century. All of them share the same space as elements of vernacular architecture such as alquerías, and ancient opencast mines. This study aims to prevent the disappearance of all these structures, to avoid the extinction of species, and to preserve the memory of territory and landscape.