HISTORY:

Espejo originated from the town Ibero-Turdetana de Ucubi; Julius Caesar was grateful for the support lent in his fight against Pompey and this built a Roman colony with the name of Claritas Isulia Ucubi. There are few facts about the Muslim period, when the town took the name of Alcala and was depopulated before the conquest by Fernando III around 1.240. At the beginning of the XIV Century a castle was built and the land repopulated. Its control and direction was given by Fernando IV to Pay Arias de Castro who governed the popu- lace from then onwards. In 1.377 Enrique II gave the town in entailed estate together with Lucena, to Maria Alfonso de Argote who contracted matrimony with Martín Fernández de Córdoba Lord of Chillón, as a result Espejo maintained links to the house of Alcaide Donceles.

PLACES TO VISIT:

At the height of the hill upon which Espejo sits, stand the parish church of San Bartolomé, constructed at the end of the XV Century. It has three naves separated by pointed arches which rest on cruciform pillars with joined half columns. The church was enriched by the addition of several lateral chapels between the XVI and XVIII Centuries, those of which one stands out, due to its size El Sagrario which houses Jesús Nazareno, the work of Tomás Jerónimo de Pedrajas. This church also has an interesteing museum of gold and silver work with pieces from the XVI and XIX Centuries. Not far from the church looking over the Espejeño dwellings, stands the well-conserved residential castle. Its construction by Pay Arias de Castro took place at the beginning of the XIV Century. It is a quadrangle with towers in the corners as well as the homage tower, the one of most importance rising up in the centre. The old quarters of Espejo offer picturesque corners, winding streets in el barrio nuevo (The new district) which paradoxi- cally is the oldest area. A little more than a Kilometre from the town in the area called el Aljibe, is a well-conserved and carefully restored domed-well, constructed by the Romans over a spring.

GASTRONOMY:

Espejo´s chorizo is highly acclaimed and is the basis of the local pork industry, it can be sampled in bars such Casa Lorenzo on the main road. The sweet line includes el cuajado not forgetting los bollos de leche, los hojaldres, las sultanas, los mostachones and at christmas roscos de vino, perrunas and torticas.

FIESTAS:

On Good Friday morning the procession of the Nazarene comes out showing the sentencing by Pilate, the Lament and the Three falls of Jesus. The main feria in honour of the patron San Bartolomé takes place from 23 to 27 August.

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