Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in El Gastor

What to see and do in El Gastor (Sierra de Cádiz, Cádiz): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of El Gastor

Iglesia de San José 200 m
Dolmen of el Gigante 1.2 km

Towns near El Gastor

Spain › Andalusia › Cádiz › Sierra de Cádiz › El Gastor

What to see and do in El Gastor

El Gastor
Village
El Gastor is a mountain municipality in the province of Cádiz, part of the Route of the Pueblos Blancos, located at 590 metres above sea level between Algodonales, Grazalema, Montecorto and Zahara de la Sierra. Human presence is attested from prehistory, with the dolmen known as the Tumba del Gigante, and coins minted by the Emperor Augustus have been found from Roman times. Its territory served as a military outpost of Zahara de la Sierra as early as 1369, under Alfonso XI of Castile, in the context of the Granada War, which culminated in the definitive reconquest of Zahara by Rodrigo Ponce de León in 1483. After the resettlement of 1520 it remained linked to Zahara until obtaining the title of independent villa in 1834.
Dolmen of el Gigante
Monument
The Dolmen del Gigante, also known as the Dolmen del Charcón or Tumba del Gigante, is a large gallery-grave megalithic tomb with a widened chamber, dated to the Copper Age, located on the slopes of the Pico Lagarín. Although it lies within the Cortijo El Charcón, belonging to the Málaga municipality of Montecorto, access is generally made from the neighbouring Cádiz town of El Gastor, via a trail laid out from the Área Recreativa La Ladera. It has large upright orthostats and slab coverings, and is preserved in good condition despite having been the object of uncontrolled excavations in the past; it is considered the largest dolmen in the province of Cádiz.
Gaita gastoreña
Curiosity
The gaita gastoreña is a single-reed aerophone native to El Gastor (Cádiz), related to bagpipes from other Spanish regions: in Spain similar instruments are found only in Madrid and in the Basque Country, where it is called the alboka. It consists of a single reed, a perforated wooden sound tube and a resonance bell made from a horn. Traditionally it was played from November onwards, when young people made their gaitas beside bonfires to liven up the nights at the end of the year, and it fell silent once Christmas ended until the following year; today it is played at Christmas and at Corpus Christi, a festival during which a gaita gastoreña contest is held in the town. It also lends its name to an annual flamenco festival dedicated to the guitarist Diego del Gastor.
Iglesia de San José
Monument
Eighteenth-century neoclassical church completed in 1747, with a bell gable 25 meters high.
Cueva de Fariña
Nature
Cave in the Peñón Algarín that served as a refuge for bandits and preserves prehistoric remains.
El Gastor, villa independiente de Zahara en 1834
Historical milestone
Settled in 1520 under Rodrigo Ponce de León following the reconquest of Zahara de la Sierra (1483), El Gastor received the title of villa (town) in 1834, becoming independent from Zahara.
Festival Flamenco Diego del Gastor
Activity
Annual flamenco festival dedicated to the memory of guitarist Diego del Gastor, held for more than 25 years.