Castillo de los Ulloa

The Castle of the Ulloa, actually a tower or bastion, is located on a rocky promontory of difficult access in the eastern part of the village.

It is a unique building of an irregular hexagonal base with an area of approximately 240m2, laid upon the foundations of natural rock which vary the height of its arches between ten and fifteen metres. It has two floors, and the interior has two rooms.

The walls of two metres thick and turrets upon them, had arches, larger on the less visible façades, as a system of defence and observation. According to studies, apparently the Castle of the Ulloa is currently of Castilian construction, though erected upon the older remains of the Moorish period.

It is most likely that the lord of the area, Mr Juan de Ulloa, ordered its construction between 1494 and 1523 to maintain order, given the rebellious nature of the population. The City Council of Vélez de Benaudalla bought the Castle of the Ulloa in the 90s and began its restoration with the labour of several publicly funded vocational training courses. It was restored in the year 2002, and in 2003 was opened to the public as Heritage Visitor Centre.