On the edge of the administrative boundary between the communities of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucía, the Jaén town of Aldeaquemada enjoys a privileged location beside the Despeñaperros Natural Park. A magnificent starting point for discovering the eastern part of Sierra Morena and for enjoying the celestial vault away from light pollution.
Touching Earth and Sky
Upon arriving at the town of Aldeaquemada, the grid-like layout of its urban fabric — the product of the Enlightenment-era repopulation model under the reign of Charles III, as reflected in nearby, better-known centers such as La Carolina —, as well as its flat terrain, do not foretell that, at a short distance, we will encounter a landscape of reliefs that includes some of the most beautiful landscapes in Andalusia.
We are in the northern stretch of the Andalusian region, just a short distance from the famous Despeñaperros Pass, which has traditionally linked the plateau with the southern part of the peninsula, which is why this point has come to be regarded as the “Northern Gate of Andalusia.” A prelude to the natural wonders that lie further down Sierra Morena, where rugged formations alternate with dehesas, holm oak woodlands and other patches of vegetation such as pine forests or riparian forests, welcoming us to an environment completely different from what we might breathe on the plateau.
It is a real pleasure to wander along the designated trails that traverse these dehesas and reliefs while, perhaps, we come across one of the numerous shelters with rock paintings that the municipality preserves, representing one of its greatest heritage treasures, being among the most important in Andalusia, and forming part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
Meanwhile, as night falls, we discover an immaculate starry sky, one of the clearest in Europe in terms of light pollution. It is the moment when this territory becomes a true natural observatory, where the sense of isolation, far from being a drawback, allows us to enjoy a night sky in perfect conditions for contemplating the firmament.
Nevertheless, we find ourselves inside the Sierra Morena Starlight Reserve, the largest in the world with more than 400,000 hectares of surface spread across more than fifty municipalities and several provinces. Its vast expanse underscores its low exposure to light pollution from large cities, making it a perfect destination for astronomical observation.
