5. Puerta de la Hoya (II)

Puerta de la Hoya. The Heritage.

The hiking paths around this space have become a journey from Prehistory to the present day thanks to the unique orography of La Hoya and its location; in addition, it offers enclaves of undeniable landscape and environmental interest.

In addition to the environmental values as a mountain complex, with places of ornithological interest (abrigo de Las Grajas), there are historical values, for instance, the prehistoric significance of the Sierra de las Grajas, that houses on its external side the Palaeolithic site of the cave with the same name and, on the internal side, cave art evidences; or the pre-Roman remains of the wall which reach the top of the mountains and cross their inner space transversely; thus, La Hoya becomes an authentic enclosure fortified not only by the man, but also by the nature.

Likewise, there are also structures of ethnographic interest (threshing floors, wells, etc.).

On the southern hillside of the sierra, in contact with the city of Archidona, we find the protected natural area of the Country Park of the Sierra de la Virgen de Gracia, that takes advantage of the pine forest (Aleppo pines) with which the area was reforested.