Algar

Algar, Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos

Algar is a simple and quiet place in Cádiz, where you can see the nobility of its inhabitants, the historical heritage and deeply rooted customs.

Situated in the Route of White Villages (Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos), Algar is located between the two most important Nature Reserves in Cádiz, which are “Sierra de Grazalema” and “Los Alcornocales“. We can observe the beautiful environment and to get an idea about the incomparable attraction related to the botanic, the fauna and landscape that Algar offers to its visitors.
We can walk by the quiet streets of the village and realize the character of our people.

Algar, with an area of 30 Km2 in its city center and to 204 meters above sea level, has a population of 1900 inhabitants. The village is surrounded by rises like “Sierra del Balconcillo” and the “Cerro del Aguila”. From North to South of the village flows the Guadalcacín Reservoir, this occupies the valley of the ancient river Majaceite. It predominates the low mountain with a variety of “yellow elders and rockroses”; we also can find “wild olive trees, gall oaks and holm oaks”.

It has also been called Santa María de Guadalupe de Algar. Its name comes from XVIII century, the place where settled down the colony, the farm of Algar and this from Arab al-gar: “the cave”.

This village was founded by D. Domingo López de Carvajal, marquis of Atalaya Bermeja, in 1773. This marquis promised founded a village in these lands because he survived in México. He devoted to each of the 90 settlers: 25 fanegas of land, a yoke of cows and a house. Those settlers were recruited between the villages of Bornos, Ubrique, Benaocaz and Villaluenga del Rosario.

Algar Monuments

Puerta de Alcalá
Bullring of Algar
Parish Church of Santa María de Guadalupe
Town Hall

Gastronomy

Tomato Soup. Garlic Soup. Gazpacho (Andalusian cold soup). Venison with sauce. Venison with herbs. Pheasant. Rabbit. Scrambled eggs with asparagus and rice. Snails, gitanillos, cabrillas (fish) and burgaos, which are cooked with hot sauce

Sweets: Oil Ring Shaped Cake. Ring Shaped Cakes of eggs. Oil flat cakes. Piñonate (Candied Pine Nut). Molletes (Muffins). Quince Jelly. Black bread.

How to get there

Leave Cádiz. Continue through N-443and then take AP-4. Turn right and take CA-3113. When you arrive to the alleyway Azahares, in the roundabout, take the exit 2 and continue through A-408. When you arrive to the alleyway Torre Alta, in the roundabout, take the exit 2 and continue through CA-3200. You have to arrive to Paterna de Rivera. Exit Paterna de Rivera. Continue through A-389. You have to follow until San José del Valle. Alleyway San José del Valle. Turn right: CA-521and you have arrived to Algar.

Distances

Cádiz 82 km
Sevilla 130 km
Algeciras 98 km
Jerez de la Frontera 50 km