In Almería
The Fishing Town of Garrucha
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Garrucha is a popular tourist destination due to its superb sandy beaches which draw tourists from all over Europe. Despite its growing popularity for tourism Garrucha remains a small resort which still retains its charm as a lively fishing port on the Costa de Almeria. Garrucha is located between Vera Playa and the much larger tourist resort of Mojacar.
Garrucha is family-friendly with most activities and things to do centering around the sandy beaches, sea and swimming which is great for children of all ages. Garrucha is very much a safe tourist resort with little crime and ideal for families. As well as being a popular place for holidays and vacations, many people from all over Europe have bought property in Garrucha and have decided to live permanently in Garrucha, these people are known as expats with most expatriates originally coming from the UK.
There are a lot of very fun and relaxing things to do as you might expect near a harbour town. Many attractions, trips and excursions you can do when you stay in Garrucha. Do however note that Garrucha is a very small and charming tourist resort so don’t expect much nightlife or opportunities for shopping. Despite this there are many things to do and see and places to visit and explore.
The harbour is the central point of the town because even today Garrucha is still a working fishing town and fishing accounts for a large part of Garrucha’s economy. The fishing boats set off just before dawn and return in the afternoon with their catch. You can even buy fresh fish at the fish market by the quayside. But don’t be fooled by the small size of the port. It is here where Garrucha red prawn is being brought to the world and this prawn is famous.
A prawn is a prawn, is a prawn, is a prawn, right. Well, not in Garrucha. They are so proud of of the local red prawns they even host two events dedicated to this seafood fans’ favourite and there is an homage to the ‘Gamba Roja’ on a marble pedestal as a roundabout centrepiece at the main town entrance.
The superior quality and intense flavour of Garrucha red prawns has made them a highly soughtafter delicacy, not just on the Costa de Almería, but throughout Spain and beyond. They are fished in deep waters off the coast in front of the town, where there is the ideal habitat for the prawns and where they feed off a native species of plankton found on the seabed.
These prawns are so special that there is a “Gamba Roja de Garrucha” Quality Mark, which the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office renewed for 10 years in February 2019. Understandably they fetch a high price and are the star product for the local fishing industry.
As the name suggests Garrucha red prawns have an intense red coloured shell. They are bigger than typical pink-shelled prawns. The meat is white and smooth with pink stripes. You can just slap Garrucha red prawns on the grill or the barbecue. The most traditional way to cook them is to simply place them in a hot pan on a bed of coarse sea salt for three or four minutes on each side, ideally accompanied by an ice cold beer or a crisp white wine. Try them yourself!
City News
The Fifth Mojácar La Vieja Excavation Campaign Begins: an Open Door to the History of Eastern Almería
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Mojácar Mayor Francisco García Flores, along with Noemí Linares and María Gracia Alarcón, the Councillors for Culture and Tourism respectively, accompanied by the project director José María Martín Civantos, as well as Jorge Rouco and Pedro Gurriarán, an architect specializing in heritage restoration, visited the works being carried out at the Mojácar la Vieja archaeological dig.
In this fifth campaign, the second within the general research project, 30 archaeologists from all over the country are working. They will remain in Mojácar until the 15th of this month when another group of 40 archaeologists will replace them on the dig until the end of the works planned for 2023, scheduled to finish at the end of September.
Jorge Rouco Collazo, an INCIPIT-CSIC researcher, director of the PGI, and the excavation campaign, will be present throughout the campaign, as well as José Maria Martín Civantos, University of Granada MEMOLab coordinator. Additionally, the project has the collaboration of the University of Exeter Institute of Islamic Archaeology in the UK through the presence of Cristina Martínez Carrillo, who is doing her doctoral thesis, and the collaboration of the CSIC Institute of History for the study of archaeobotanical remains, with the presence of Antonio Peralta Gómez, also doing his doctoral thesis.
The Mojácar Mayor, together with his councillors, toured the entire archaeological site, learning first-hand about the relevance of Mojácar la Vieja in the history of Muslim Spain in the area and in Eastern Almería, as well as the importance of the discoveries being made as the excavations progress. Among the matters discussed at the foot of the site, the planning of the expected steps in the future and the possibility of requesting assistance and collaborations with regional and national administrations stand out.
Although only a few days of excavations have passed, various ceramic pieces have already been found, and the first settlement in Mojácar is taking shape. It is important to remember that the archaeological site is open to the public, not only for visiting and asking any questions that may arise, but also, and most importantly, for participating in the works the specialists are carrying out and being able to be an archaeologist for a day or for the time considered appropriate.
Within this open and participatory character of the excavations, the workshops being held to find out about the history of the locality and its surroundings stand out. Among them are an archaeological ceramics workshop, interactive games about Mojácar la Vieja, washing in the fountain the old way, drawing and painting days, as well as different guided tours of the archaeological site.
City News
The Valparaiso Foundation Cedes Land to Mojácar for the La Vieja Archaeological Site
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“Mojácar Mayor, Francisco García Cerdá, and Beatrice Beckett, President of the Valparaíso Foundation, have signed an agreement to transfer the land owned by the foundation located on the site of Mojácar la Vieja. As a result of this agreement, the Local Council will be able to carry out all the actions aimed at the consolidation of the site.
The contract signed between the Council and the foundation, lasting 50 years, represents a major advance and a notable boost to the Mojácar la Vieja excavation works. It will allow for the expansion of the collaboration framework with other entities, including the state, the possibility of accessing official and private financial assistance, and, among other matters, creates the guarantee of solidity and commitment to the continuity of the works that are being carried out at the site. This important agreement opens up new lines of work for the next excavation works. That corresponding to 2023 will start next month.
Thanks to the transfer of this land, and with the cession of other local minority owners of the Mojácar la Vieja hill, Mojácar Council plans to initiate the request for assistance and collaborations from higher administrations, both at the state and autonomous community levels. Mojácar la Vieja is currently included in the 2022-2025 General Research Project, which allows for having a conservation, maintenance, and management plan for the site that gives access to facilitating the highlighting of the importance of the site, increasing its promotion among residents and visitors. As of today, and within this framework of the 2022-2025 General Research Project, Mojácar la Vieja annually receives an important team of archaeologists, national and international, who continue the investigation work on the site that began five years ago.
In 2018, Mojácar Council started, thanks to the University of Granada and Memolab (Biocultural Archaeology Laboratory), the first exploration, adaptation, and research work on the Mojácar la Vieja hill. With these actions and thanks to the exhaustive work carried out by the archaeologists from Granada, the historic and cultural value of the site was uncovered, making important advances in each campaign, both from the point of view of their finds and in its strategic positioning in the field of archaeology and in the study of these first Islamic settlements in eastern Almería. The Mojácar Mayor thanked Beatrice Beckett and the Valparaíso Foundation for the support received over all these years on the Mojácar la Vieja project, of great relevance for the municipality and for the historic studies of the province, and especially for the confidence received with this important step of the cession of their land located in a part of this archaeological zone.
The Valparaíso Foundation is a cultural foundation of national scope, dedicated to the patronage of activities in all artistic disciplines. Beatrice Beckett founded, together with her husband Paul Beckett, the Valparaíso Foundation and the Artists Residence after arriving in Mojácar in 1964 and in 1972 acquiring the estate where both projects are located. Every year in Mojácar Valparaíso hosts artists from different disciplines from all over the world, among them theater, music, painting, photography, sculpture, and literature. With the aim of promoting culture in Mojácar, which has always been a place of artistic inspiration, the Council has for years been collaborating with this foundation, a collaboration which maintains its continuity over time and under which new actions are not ruled out.”
City News
Maria Flores Fernández Winner of the Mojácar Saint Augustine 2023 Festivities Poster Competition
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The winning poster for the 2023 patron saint festivities in honor of Saint Augustine has been unveiled in the Mojácar Council Plenary Hall. This poster, selected through a competition organized by the local authority’s Festivities Department, will serve as the official image for the upcoming celebrations.
Twelve entries were submitted for the competition, and the organizing jury narrowed it down to three finalists. The ultimate winner was determined through social media and popular vote. María Flores Fernández, an 18-year-old native of Mojácar with a deep connection to her hometown, emerged as the competition’s victor with her artwork.
María actively participates in various activities and cultural events in Mojácar, including playing the saxophone in the Municipal Music Band. Her passion for graphic design led her to pursue studies at the Superior Design School in Murcia next term. With her winning poster, María aimed to strike a balance between tradition and modernity, preserving the essence of the festivities while appealing to younger generations.
The winning artwork, created using digital techniques, boasts a strong composition and a clear message. The official presentation of the poster was attended by Mojácar Mayor Francisco García Cerdá and Festivities Councillor Jesús Montoya, who expressed their gratitude to all participants for their high-quality submissions. They acknowledged the difficulty of selecting the finalists due to the outstanding quality of the entries. The winning poster will soon be displayed throughout the municipality and in the festivities book, showcasing María’s talent and capturing the spirit of the upcoming celebrations.
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