Cuevas del Campo, Spain

Cuevas del Campo is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE), the city has a population of 2073 inhabitants. In the north east corner of the Granada Province and at around 130 kilometres from Granada City (home of the Alhambra), Cuevas del Campo is one of the six picturesque villages that make up the area of Baza in the Altiplano region. It covers 97 km2 and has a population of approximately 2,500.It lies in between the Sierra de Baza and the Sierra de Cazorla.Cuevas del Campo is the youngest of the municipalities in the Baza region, having been formed in 1980. The population is approximately 2,500 and the inhabitants are known as ’cueveños’. The village economy is basically agricultural, with a strong emphasis on olives.HistoryOver many years there have been disputes between the towns of Pozo Alcón and Zújar regarding the boundaries of these two municipalities. The result of a long legal wrangle ended up with the dividing of the territory into three parts, one of which was El Retamar . Over 30 years the people of Cuevas del Campo wanted segregation from Zújar . This was finally granted on 21 November 1980, when Cuevas del Campo finally became an independently constituted municipality.ClimateAs with the other villages in the Altiplano area the summers are long and dry, with cooler evenings than many other parts of Andalusia. The winters can bring cold fresh days and sometimes snow, but often coupled with bright sunshine.FiestasSemana Santa is a special time in most of Andalusia. It is particularly interesting in Cuevas del Campo because since the year 2001, they have had the special added attraction of ‘Semana Santa Viviente’ where professionals and other villagers act out various parts of the Passion of Christ, including crucifixion and resurrection.