Outlying districts of Puerto Lumbreras: Cabezo de la Jara

Rural tourism and an astronomical observatory in the mountains of Puerto Lumbreras

Cabezo de la Jara is the district of Puerto Lumbreras which occupies the mountains to the north-west of the town, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,242 metres above sea level.

This may be a rural area, in which it is unusual to find even remote houses, but nonetheless it has been home to human inhabitants and activity for millennia. At various points in history it has been of great strategic importance as rival factions fought for control over the main communications routes which lie to the south and the north of the mountains: one of the caves is rumoured to contain the remains of the brother of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, who conquered Cartagena from the Carthaginians in 209 BC, and again during the centuries of the Reconquista of southern Spain from the Moors the location of the Sierra on the frontier between Christian and Islamic kingdoms led to its being de-populated except for military purposes.

Long before this, though, in the second millennium BC, the members of the Argaric culture frequently passed through the area, as archaeological evidence found in the Rambla de Vilerda shows( see History of Puerto Lumbreras).

Nowadays the main activity in the area of Cabezo de la Jara is rural tourism (although there is also a little agriculture and bee-keeping). Apart from the sheer pleasure of exploring the spectacular landscape, the mountains also offer a large hostel and nature interpretation centre and an astronomical observatory, where regular star-gazing sessions are held beneath the clear mountain sky.

Walking routes include a special 1,500-metre “astronomy path” and another botanical path, both starting at the observatory.

Outlying districts of Puerto Lumbreras: Cabezo de la Jara

The area is also home to a significant population of spur-thighed tortoises, which are protected by law as an endangered species, as well as various native plant species and a range of birdlife and other fauna.

(Note: for administrative purposes the municipality of Puerto Lumbreras is divided into four “pedanías”, or districts: Puerto Lumbreras itself, El Esparragal, Puerto Adentro and Cabezo de la Jara.)

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