Fuente de las Lágrimas
Springs and Fountains
Fuente de las Lágrimas
The Fuente Grande spring, also called the Fuente de las Lágrimas (‘Spring of Tears’, perhaps because of its shape or because of the small bubbles that rise from the bottom to the surface in the shape of a tear). It is located in the upper part of the town, just a few metres from Parque Federico García Lorca and at the foot of the Sierra de la Alfaguara mountain range. It dates back to the 11th century. The Moors called it Aynadamar, ‘Ayn’ (eye and by extension spring, as it is the source of tears) and ‘damar’ (tears).
Fuente Grande is the most important of the Moorish remains and springs in Alfacar that have survived to the present day. The town was part of the Caliphate Route from Cordoba to Granada.
The waters of Fuente Grande were channelled through canals and aqueducts to Granada, supplying water to the Alhambra and the Albaicín district. Perhaps because of this fact,
it became one of the last Muslim strongholds to surrender to the Catholic Monarchs. From this late surrender, on 22 December 1491, stems its fleeting fame at the time of the reconquest.
The town of Víznar was established as a result of the canalisation of the water from the Fuente Grande. Water was guided through the Aynadamar irrigation canal to the Albaicín district in Granada during the 11th century.
The shape of the fountain resembles a drop of water. It is made from masonry caissons (mortar and irregular stones), stone ashlars and bricks reinforcing the structure.
The beauty of Fuente Grande and its surroundings has been cited by poets and historians from ancient times to the present day. The greatest of Granada’s Muslim historians, Ibn al-Khatib, wrote the following description:
“… it has an abundance of water, which is piped by a roadside irrigation canal and enjoys a wonderful setting with delightful orchards and unrivalled gardens, a mild climate and very fresh water, as well as splendid panoramic views. It is a myrtle-covered landscape, with well-protected palaces, crowded mosques and tall, fortified buildings.”
In the 16th century (1524), Andrea Navaggiero also mentioned it:
“… the water comes from Alfacar where there is a large and beautiful spring …”.
In 1946, Pascual Madoz also refered to it in his geographical-statistical dictionary:
“… from the Alfacar mountain range rises the so-called Fuente Grande, with exquisite waters that pass through Víznar, Alquería del Fargue and provide water to the Albaicín, Alcazaba and other districts of Granada …”.
In 1940, the poet Dámaso Alonso wrote an elegy to Federico García Lorca, entitled ‘La Fuente Grande o de Las Lágrimas’ .
Fuente Fría
Fuente Fria is the focal point of a natural site located in the heart of the high forests of the Sierra de la Alfaguara. The vegetation that grows next to the spring favours the presence of numerous birds that use the streams of water and the small trough that was built decades ago as a drinking trough for livestock.
Fuente Fría, which years ago had a small pool and a recreational area with benches for resting, is also the midpoint of a route that goes into the Alfaguara forests and which, in circular fashion, connects with the Cerro de la Encina Trenches and the old sanatorium created and maintained by Berta Wilhelmi.
Fuente Fría, que hace años contó con una pequeña alberca y una zona recreativa con sus bancos para descansar, es también el punto medio de un recorrido que se interna en los bosques de la Alfaguara y que, de forma circular, conecta con las trincheras del cerro de la Encina y con el antiguo sanatorio que creó y mantuvo Berta Wilhelmi.
Fuente de la Teja
This spring is just a few metres from the Fuente de la Teja in Huétor Santillán. Both represent the first of the headwaters of the Darro River. The name of this spring, ‘de la Teja’, comes from the fact that there is a ‘teja’ (tile) where the water used to flow.
Fuente del Llano del Fraile
An abandoned fountain created by ICONA (The Nature Conservation Institute), in Llanos del Fraile, next to the forest track from Alfaguara to Las Minas. It was supplied from Fuente Fría in Alfacar, nowadays it is dry.
Fuente de los Pasajeros
Now dry, it used to provide water to the Alfaguara Arboretum and was the source of a small pond and a stream that ran down the mountain.
Fuente de la Alfaguarilla
An abandoned fountain created by ICONA (The Nature Conservation Institute), in Llanos del Fraile, next to the forest track from Alfaguara to Las Minas. It was supplied from Fuente Fría in Alfacar, nowadays it is dry.
