Within the property of La Alcolehuela we find the ancient ruins of a Medieval fortification, after which it is named, only conserving the toponym and archiological remains that complicate cronological description.
LOCATION
La Alcolehuela pertains to the municipal of Vilches in Jaen. It is situated in the middle of Sierra Morena, surrounded on the north by the extensión of the Despeñaperros nature park, and to the south with the Canada Real Conquense; this is where one reaches the ranch from the town of Vilches, which is known in Spain as being the valley most traveled for livestock herding.
PROJECT
Iñigo Urigüen and Esther Blanco are the owners of La Alcoehuela, two entrepreneurs with properties in the realestate world. Since they met, they have been committed to this mutual project. Both being nature lovers and avid travelers they decided to aquire La Alcoehuela ( livestock and hunting business) to créate their new form of life, dedicating all of their enthusiasm and knowledge to this priveledged magical place which is unforgettable
HISTORY
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The name Alcolehuela come from Alcala, which in árabe means ¨The Castle¨; its diminutive is alcolea; and the diminutive in castizo castellano converts to Alcolehuela. In the mountain that gives the name to the castle are found the remains of the watchtower which was part of the border surveillance system before the battle of Navas de Tolosa. This battle, which ended with the conquest of Vilches and Ubeda, definitively incorportate the territory to the Corona of Castilla. One hundred years later the first reference of La Alcolehuela was produced in the book of Monteria de Alfonso XI which, when discovered by the hunters of the bishop of Jaen, says verbatim, ¨Alcolehuela is a Good mount of pork in winter¨.
Nowadays, the visible ruins show us walls constructed in ashlar apparently in dry stone, with heights between one and two meters. The entrance to the compound is clearly observable on the north side. Once reached from the south slope of the hill, we can see the presence of different structures. Highlighted is the area of the summit which leads to a small enclosure, with an access door located on the south face that fits into the rocky escarpment. The abundance of landslide material on the south side is impressive. In that area exists a possible mine shoot, which would justify the abundance of cinder, and a spring dug into the mountain itself with a channel covered with slate 1.
Since time immemorial the province of Jaen has been exploiting the mining of metals. The installation of a small foundry near the mine was very common and this in turn was abandoned when the materials ran out. A similar scenario must have occured on the property as there is an abundance of slag debris near the castle site. Not in vain, the river which runs through the property is called Guarrizas, Wadi Rasas or River of Metal in arab. By constituting the Registration of the Property, the first official inscription was established. It took place May 30th, 1853 as a joint ownership for the brothers D. Alvero and D. Jose Maria Perez Caballerro and Posada by inheritance of their mother. At that moment the property consisted of 8,262 hectares. They were awarded the meadows titled: La Alcolehuela, the chapel house and ornaments.
This immense property that the descendents inherited, segregating and selling throughout the 20th century, has its current configured limits as established in 1971, whose owners were outside of the Perez Caballero family. Regarding the agricultural history of the ranch, we know that at one time the meadow where dedicated to planting, as there are at least two eras identified. In the Meadow several herds of fighting bulls have grazed, like those of Tomas Perez Padilla and Jimenez Pasquau. Existing as testimony of this activity, the bullpen, which remains in perfect conditions of use.
In La Alcolehuela all activities carried out are in total respect of the environment, promoting sustainability of the organic exploitation of nature. The farm is dedicated to the raising of indigenous cattle, in an organic regimen. Also, beekeeping is promoted for the production of honey with flowering holm oaks and wild flowers of Sierra Morena. The property collaborates with the project Lince Iberico for the reintroduction of the species which is in danger of extinction in the area.