PERCHED ATOP THE DIZZYING HEIGHTS OF THE SERRANIA DE RONDA, ALPANDEIRE IS A MOORISH GEM OF BRILLANT CONTOURS. THE VILLAGE MADE FAMOUS BY FRAY LEOPOLDO IS THE PERFECT SPOT PEACE-LOVING SOULS.

The Panditos (as the inhabitants of this remarkable locality are known) live tucked away in the foothills of the Sierra de Jarastepar, raised some 700 metres above sea level. Around them, the rocky landscape of the northern slopes slowly give way toward the south, softening into rolling hills and valleys, painted in delicate hues by the chestnut trees, cork oaks, pines and olive groves.

The distant past.
The slopes of the Serranía de Ronda have been inhabited since prehistoric times, as attested to by many signs in Alpandeire itself. The dolmens of Encinas Borrachas and Montero stand as noble witnesses to such ancient settlements, while a number of megalithic burial sites have revealed secrets of their way of life and funereal practices.
On the site of the lost village of Ambareg, believed to have been located on the nearby hill of Cerro del Castillejo, graves and mummies have also been found, including those of a man and a woman, which are jealously guarded, in perfect condition, in the local church.
Other remains, this time of pottery, found in such places as La Vasija and La Mimbre, indicate that the Romans settled in the area for some time. Nonetheless, the origins of Alpandeire are indisputably Moorish.

It was in 711, shortly after Tarik first set foot on the Iberian peninsula, that Alpandeire was founded, making it one of the first villages built by the Arabs in the Serranía de Ronda. The recent history of the town is closely intertwined with that of one of its more spiritual sons: the monk Fray Leopoldo de Alpandeire. Born in 1866, he dedicated his life to helping the needy. Popular devotion to this Capuchin friar, to whom many miraculous deeds are ascribed, has grown over the years, and both his tomb, in Granada, and his birthplace are visited by many of the faithful.
A labyrinth of white
The centre of Alpandeire is a labyrinth of ever-sloping whitewashed streets. At its heart the church of San Antonio de Padua, built in the mid-16th century and rebuilt in the 18th.

This generously proportioned parish church (locals call it the "Cathedral"), has three vaulted naves and a domed transept, while on the outside stand two octagonal, brick-built bell towers topped with pyramid-shaped copings. The crypt, meanwhile, conceals and ancient cementery where, according to legend, the corpses almost intact. Indeed, as mentioned above, two embalmed mummies are preserved in the pantheon of the church.
Other places of interest include the Old Granary (16th century), which now houses a cultural centre; the Monolith of Fernando VII, and statue raised in memory of Fray Leopoldo himself. Nearby, the Valle del Genal is without any doubt worth a visit, as is a climb up the peaks of Jaratepar, El Carnero and Pozancón; a trip down the Canalizo and Infiernillo ravines; an ascent of the Cerro de los Frailes, or a plunge into the waterfall of Chorrerón or the source of the Laza.