SACROMONTE Granada
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Top Attractions in Spain
Located right next to the Albaicin quarter and across the valley from the Alhambra, the Sacromonte neighborhood is known for being the cultural center of the gypsy community in Granada. For centuries, outsiders who were not welcome within the city walls came to this hillside where they dug out holes and created their own refuge. It’s in these whitewashed caves where artistic passion was cultivated and Zambra Flamenco was born.
Today, visiting Sacromonte is one of the best things to do in Granada. And witnessing a flamenco performance in one of its many caves is an absolute must.
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To this day, Sacromonte is composed of caves carved out of the rock. Although some are still homes, most offer flamenco shows or have been transformed into bars and restaurants.
Strolling through the neighborhood you will find gypsies offering a visit to their caves for 1 or 2€. Although not a bad option, the best place to see caves and learn about the neighborhood is the Museo de las Cuevas del Sacromonte.
The Museo de las Cuevas del Sacromonte (entrance: 5€) is located in the Barranco de los Negros, in the heart of the neighborhood. It is an ethnographic museum that preserves 11 caves in their original state.
The museum explains the history and way of life of the inhabitants of Sacromonte and the natural environment of the Darro River Valley.
The Sacromonte Caves Museum also has a privileged viewpoint overlooking the Alhambra, the city and the Darro River Valley.
The Abadía del Sacromonte (entrance fee: 6 €) was built in the 17th century on the highest point of Sacromonte. It is located on the site where in 1595, the remains of St. Cecilio, the patron saint of Granada, were found.
Today, it’s possible to visit the church and the cloister of the Abbey. There is also a museum that contains works of great artistic value such as the original manuscript of the Treatise on Medicine by Averroes and a world map by Ptolemy.
Other highlights are its collection of Baroque paintings, religious sculptures, tapestries from Brussels and the only painting by Goya in Granada.
Next to the Abbey you can also visit the holy caves. These are the catacombs where the remains of St. Cecilius were found. It’s possible to walk through underground passages where several chapels are preserved.
Sacromonte boasts a variety of lookouts with great views of the Alhambra, the city and the Darro River Valley. All of these spots can be enjoyed in peace and quiet, without the crowds of the famous Mirador de San Nicolas in the Albaicin.
Some of the best viewpoints are the Mirador de la Vereda de Enmedio (also known as Mirador Mario Maya after the famous gypsy dancer who began his career here), the Mirador del Museo de las Cuevas del Sacromonte and the Mirador de la Abadía del Sacromonte.
Right on the border between the Albaicín and Sacromonte, another viewpoint that offers spectacular views over the entire city is the Mirador de San Miguel Alto.
The Sacromonte district of Granada is considered to be one of the birthplaces of flamenco. Granada's flamenco tradition has its origins in "zambras". The word "zambra" comes from the Arabic "zumra." Originally it referred to a Moorish party that was full of energy with the focus being on dancing.
Over time, the gypsies of Sacromonte adapted this tradition from their Moorish neighbors. Gradually they began to use the word zambra to refer to the flamenco party and dance used to celebrate their wedding ceremonies. And so the gypsy zambra was born.
In the 17th century, the zambra was banned by the Inquisition but it continued to be practiced in secret. This tradition did not become famous until the 20th and 21st centuries when dancers such as Carmen Amaya and Lola Flores gained wide spread fame.
Today, Sacromonte is full of caves that host flamenco shows. The word zambra is now used to refer to both this type of caves and the dance itself.
Although the caves that offer flamenco shows in Sacromonte are very touristy, they are still a must-see. Enjoying a flamenco zambra show in a Sacromonte cave is a unique experience, the result of the cultural mix that took place in the neighborhood for centuries.
Below is one of the most famous zambras (flamenco cave venues) in Sacromonte, Cuevas los Tarantos.
Cuevas los Tarantos is one of the most renowned gypsy cave houses in Sacromonte. This traditional establishment opened its doors in 1972 and is famous for the purity and passion of its shows.
In addition to the daily flamenco show, they also offer flamenco courses, cave rentals and guided tours of the neighborhood.
In the 16th century, following the Christian reconquest of Granada, Muslims and Jews were expelled from the city. Some of them sought refuge outside the city walls and began to settle in the Sacromonte neighborhood. There they were able to continue their lives, since being outside the walls meant that they were also outside of administrative and ecclesiastical control.
Those same fanatical laws from the beginning of the 16th century that expelled Jews and Muslims also dictated repressive measures against the Gypsies. They were forbidden, among other things, to continue their traditional nomadism. This forced them to settle in a fixed place and many of them settled in Sacromonte.
The marginal Sacromonte community with limited resources began to carve caves in the stone of the hillside to use as houses. The interiors and facades were whitewashed with lime. This tradition continues to the present day. The white houses of Sacromonte are still one of the most characteristic features of the neighborhood.
Since the 18th century, Gypsies have made up the majority of the inhabitants of the neighborhood and have contributed to the international fame of the caves.
In the 1960s, heavy flooding forced the evacuation of Sacromonte. The inhabitants were offered new housing. Not all of them accepted but many did.
Today, Sacromonte has 600 inhabitants. Although some caves are still used as private homes, most are used as flamenco halls, bars and restaurants.
Sacromonte is a neighborhood where legends abound. The most famous is probably the Legend of the Barranco de los Negros, which speaks of the origin of Sacromonte and gives the name to the ravine in the heart of the neighborhood.
After the Reconquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, many Moorish nobles went into exile in Africa. But these nobles feared being robbed on the way by "salteadores" (groups of renegade soldiers of the Christian army).
Thinking that the exile was only temporary and that they would one day return to Granada, they decided to hide their fortunes in the olive groves of the Valparaíso Mountain (what we know today as Sacromonte).
Before leaving Granada, the nobles also freed many of their African (black) slaves because it was too expensive to make such a long journey with a large entourage.
Some of the slaves that stayed behind had heard from their masters about burying their wealth on Mount Valparaiso. Now that they were free but had no work, they decided to go up the mountain in search of the treasures.
These former slaves began to excavate the slopes of the ravine. It is not known if they ever found anything. But since they were also homeless, they needed a place to sleep. And as the hallows in the hillside that they dug became larger and larger, these caves eventually became houses.
According to legend, this is how the Sacromonte neighborhood was born.
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