Yegen was made by famous by the English writer Gerald Brenan in his book South from Granada. The writer explained “…the place had something about it that was attractive to me. It was a poor village high above the sea, with amazing views. Its grey square houses, in jagged Le Corbusier style, on the steep slope of the hill all stuck to one another. They had flat roofs and small smoky chimneys, and looked as though they had been built by insects.” A visit to this town will give you the opportunity to see the typical architecture of La Alpujarra – its steep streets, and a system whereby the roof of one house is used as a patio or terrace for the one above, giving the town a stepped structure. Alpujarra de la Sierra the ideal base for trekking, riding or cycling and has a wide range of charming rural accommodation. The house where Gerald Brenan stayed is still open to the public, which is where he stayed before renting the house that was his home for fourteen years. Today it is one of the attractions the town has to offer.
Mecina Bombarón is the main town of Alpujarra de la Sierra. The Río Mecina Bombarón and the Las Chorreras waterfall are the most interesting places in this town. The river feeds into the Río Adra, over which there is a Roman bridge. The Las Chorreras waterfall is in the Sierra de Mecina, which you can reach via the forest track.
The exact origin of this town is unknown, although the remains of a Roman bridge in the centre of Mecina Bombarón have been found. Under Arab rule two towns were created: Mecina Bombarón, composed of eight districts with a mosque and its own grain warehouse, and Yegen, with two other districts. Mecina Bombarón was the home of Diego Lopez Aben Aboo, the cousin and successor of Aben Humeya.
Alpujarra de la Sierra came under the Crown of Castile in 1492, when the Catholic Kings captured Granada. At that time the people were put under great pressure by the Christians and forced to give up their customs and religious beliefs. In 1568 a wealthy landowner in the area, Aben Humeya, took up arms against Felipe II, leading the rebellion of the Moors in La Alpujarra. He was succeeded by his cousin Aben Aboo. The rebellion was quashed in 1569 and the Moors were finally expelled in 1609. Later the area was repopulated with settlers from other parts of Spain.
Here you can try the exquisite Migas de Alarcón, named in honour of the writer Pedro Antonio de Alarcón who loved this local specialty consisting of breadcrumbs mixed with virgin olive oil, garlic and sausage. Other typical dishes are the fennel pot, Ajo Quemao broth, Guisaillo Matancero, chestnut broth, Buñuelos and a wide variety of sweets and pastries.