Plaza de la Constitución – Santiago de la Espada

Located in the Sierra Alta del Segura, on the southeast slope of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Nature Reserve, the origin of the town of Santiago de la Espada, as is the case with many other towns in the mountains, dates back to the 16th century and revolves around an oven for baking bread. It was founded by migrant shepherds and is made up of irregular, narrow streets with mountain dwellings that combat the adverse winter conditions. This is the reason for the stone façades with small spaces for windows, roofs which enable the water to run off and to withstand snow and with tiny chimneys.

Despite its location, or perhaps because of it, it was established as a mountain crossroads, a place of passage between the provinces of Granada and Albacete. And this is why there was always a good number of inns.

This can be seen in the Plaza de la Constitución, an urban area with a number of historical buildings. There is the Town Hall, built around the second half of the 20th century. But, much more representative than this are the Posada de la Ramona, an inn serving excellent food, the Casa de la Tercia or the "Pósito", where taxes were collected for the king, or the stunning Posada del Hornillo, an inn with the original name given to the town of Santiago de la Espada. The latter building still has a wooden balcony, an interesting example of vernacular architecture whose foundations and banisters are well protected by the wide eaves on the roof.