Grazalema

Grazalema
Municipality
Grazalema seen from the Sierra del Endrinal
Grazalema seen from the Sierra del Endrinal
Flag of Grazalema
Flag
Coat of arms of Grazalema
Coat of arms
Interactive map of Grazalema
Grazalema is located in Spain
Grazalema
Grazalema
Location within Spain
Coordinates: 36°46′N 5°22′W / 36.767°N 5.367°W / 36.767; -5.367
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityAndalusia
ProvinceCádiz
Government
 • MayorMaría José Lara Mateos (PSOE)
Area
 • Total
122.41 km2 (47.26 sq mi)
Elevation
812 m (2,664 ft)
Population
 (2025-01-01)
 • Total
1,977
 • Density16.15/km2 (41.83/sq mi)
DemonymGrazalemeños
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
11610
WebsiteOfficial website

Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema had, as of 2009, a population of 2,205.

History

The Roman villa of Lacidulia[citation needed] or Lacidulerium, situated in an estate near to the present village, has been traditionally considered the ancestor of Grazalema.

Traditional theories emphasised a Berber settlement of the area, and thus a relation of the placename with the groups Ṣaddīna and Salīm. This theory failed to explain convincingly the early Latinate form Çagrasalema/Zagrazalema, which has led to an alternative theory connecting the placename to Ṣajrat Salāma (rock of Salāma, another anthroponym). The settlement is presumed to have increased considerably its population in the 13th century under the Nasrid sultanate. The territory passed to Christian control and was annexed to the territories of the Marquis of Cádiz towards 1483–85.

It became economically important as of the 17th century thanks to the drapery industry which produced the famous shawls of Grazalema. In the first years of the 19th century, during the War of Independence, Grazalema suffered attacks and sieges from the Napoleonic troops who partially destroyed the village.

Following the military uprising of 17–18 July 1936, Grazalema remained loyal to the Republic and held out for two months. The village was bombed on 12 September 1936 and fell to the Falangists three days later. The repression began at once, and intensified in February 1937, when villagers who had fled to the Málaga area returned home after that city fell. Fifteen local women were then killed together with a teenage boy, an episode remembered as the Fifteen Roses of Grazalema. A 1940 report by the town council recorded 209 victims of the repression in Grazalema: 150 summarily executed and 59 executed after courts martial.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Statistics Institute (13 December 2025). "Municipal Register of Spain of 2025".
  2. ↑ Baynes, T. S.; Smith, W. R., eds. (1880). "Grazalema" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (9th ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 78.
  3. ↑ Iglesias García 2024, pp. 170–171.
  4. ↑ Iglesias García 2024, pp. 171–172.
  5. ↑ Iglesias García 2024, pp. 173.
  6. ↑ Iglesias García, Luis (2024). "El poblamiento del Alto Guadalete durante el sultanato Nazarí" [The settlement of the Upper Guadalete during the Nasrid sultanate]. Arqueología y Territorio Medieval. 31. Jaén: UJA Editorial: 173. doi:10.17561/aytm.v31.7935. ISSN 1134-3184.
  7. 1 2 "La caída de Grazalema en manos sublevadas. Hace 81 años". Todos los Nombres (in Spanish). 16 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Sígler, Fernando (11 October 2016). "Las quince rosas de Grazalema". CaoCultura (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Fosa de las Mujeres de Grazalema (Cádiz) - Junta de Andalucía". Junta de Andalucía (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2026.