A wonderful street of shadows curves gently along the basin, with bodegas and restaurants abuzz on either side. On this shaded street, beneath a craggy boulder that mysteriously overhangs as if magically softened and then squished tightly between the whitewashed façades, Spaniards and travelers alike patronize in the vast cool shade in August.
There is more to this strange boulder than meets the eye; a whole monolithic cliffside hangs down over the row, appearing to squeeze the establishments, such that it is hard to tell: Were the shops built between the rocks? Or did the rocks form around the shops? These questions invite discovery. But looking at the bustling, shaded street, it leaves little wonder as to why the Moors of the 12th century held out in this wonderous enclave centuries ago.
The blazing Andalusian sun casting this vast swath of shadow may answer it all. The first cave dwellers who arrived here, at what is now the town of Setenil de las Bodegas (population 3,000), in the Sierras of southern Spain, probably noted the natural rocky curves of the valley provided not just walls and ceilings premade, but also shade and constant temperatures: Thermal inertia from the rocks kept summers cool and winters warm. They arrived here, naturally, to escape the blistering sun. Finding a cool nook, they made their homes.
Today, the street is a tourist magnet, not to mention a blogger’s dream, though the narrow streets of town demand creativity on behalf of visitors traveling by car, particularly in the art of finding a parking space. The town is a rare gem and well worth the stay overnight. Travelers from all around visit simply to see the whitewashed caves of this Andalusian town, one of several whitewashed towns (and the most famous) in the hills that surround.
The bustling shaded street is called Calle Cuevas del Sol, which means Caves of the Sun, and it has a riveting history to match its potent tourist magnetism. The town’s name, Setenil de las Bodegas, bespeaks of a purpose this street of shadows probably served. One of several translations, the name is said to mean “Seven Times Nothing,” denoting the number of times invaders tried to conquer the town and came away with nothing.
Regarded an important strategic position, the town was held by Moors of the Almohad Caliphate during the 12th century. Catholic invaders from the north waged their first unsuccessful siege of the town in 1407. Six more assaults followed, until finally, the Moors were ousted in 1484 when gunpowder and artillery were used against them. The street called Caves of the Sun had been used to keep produce cool in the hot Andalusian climate. It may have aided in their defense of the town.
Setenil was one of the last Muslim strongholds on the Iberian Peninsula, and one of the last remnants of the Moors’ defenses here at Setenil can still be visited today. The ruins of Nazari Castle, still standing upon a bluff, is but a shadow of its former self. It once boasted 40 towers during the Catholic Reconquista against Moorish expansion, but today you may stand upon the crumbling stones of merely one.
Agriculture has long been an Andalusian tradition. After taking back the region, the Catholics introduced grapes for wine, almonds, and olive orchards for oil. Another translation for the town’s name, Setenil de las Bodegas, denotes wine as a part of the region’s produce. But the flourishing wineries, or bodegas, were entirely wiped out by the phylloxera insect infestation of the 1860s. Yet the growing of olive trees carried on till today.
One of the town’s most notable features, besides its cave dwellings, is the whitewashing so commonly seen in towns across southern Spain. The Moors also left this legacy, dashing the village walls with whitewash, called “cal,” a compound of slaked lime. This shines off sunlight, keeping the dwellings cool during the searing Andalusian summers.
It is also said that plague had something to do with the application of this pale tint. When cholera and yellow fever swept through southern Spain between the 16th and 19th centuries, cal was painted on the houses in the wake of the outbreak.
