The Village of Órgiva

Órgiva, a Village in the Valley of the Alpujarras...

Órgiva is located on the southern slopes of the National Park of Sierra Nevada. Situated in the valley of the Rio Guadalfeo where it joins the Rio Chico, Órgiva is the largest and most important commercial town of the Alpujarra region.

Órgiva is an important communication and transport center. Four roads depart from here: one links Las Alpujarras with Salobreña, Almuñécar, and the Costa Tropical to the south; the second heads west through Lanjarón leading on to Granada; the third heads through the town of Torviscón and through the foothills of the Contraviesa coastal mountain range into the remoter villages of the eastern Alpujarras; and the fourth winds up into the Sierra Nevada, ascending to the storied towns of Pampaneira, Bubión, Capileira, Trevélez and the other beautiful high mountain villages.

Órgiva is an excellent base for exploring the beautiful Alpujarras. The countryside all around, in the fertile Valle de Órgiva, is beautiful. Expansive groves of orange and lemon trees, olives and pomegranates, bougainvillaea, morning glory and jasmine bring color and scent to a sunny land. Surrounded by mountains (the Sierra Nevada to the north, Sierras Lújar and La Contraviesa to the south), it is a rural paradise.

The History of Órgiva

Órgiva was founded in Roman times for mining purposes in the high mountains and for farming the fertile valley along the Rio Guadalfeo After the invasion by the Moors in the 7th Century, it was ruled under the authority of Ugíjar. Órgiva was granted to the dethroned Moorish ruler, Boabdil, after he lost Granada to the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Later it played a very important role in the war between the Moriscos (Moors nominally converting to Christianity in order to avoid expulsion to North Africa) and the Catholics, when Abén Humeya organized an uprising against King Phillip ll. The Moriscos were eventually and finally expelled in 1609. Thereafter, Órgiva, in common with the rest of the Alpujarra, was forgotten and left to languish in economic decline. Several interesting monuments of earlier days remain, with the16th Century Palace (Palacio del Duque del Arco) and 16th Century Parish Church the best preserved.

Where is Órgiva located?

Órgiva is located near the Mediterranean coast, specifically the Costa Tropical. It is close to the city of Granada and to the primary Costa Tropical towns of Almuñécar, Motril, and Salobreña. It is easily accessible from these larger towns by well maintained paved roads that connect with major highways.

Órgiva is a very popular tourist destination for both Spaniards and foreigners because of its architecture, ancient Alpujarras culture, vistas, and proximity to famed nature preserves. The area encompassing the three neighboring villages of Capileira, Órgiva, and Pampaneira (each about one kilometer apart), have been designated a Conjunto Histórico Artístico by the Spanish government, an area of particular artistic and historical importance.

Getting There