Setenil de las Bodegas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Setenil de las Bodegas
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 Setenil de las Bodegas
Location in Province of Cádiz
Setenil de las Bodegas
Location in Andalusia
Setenil de las Bodegas
Location in Spain
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| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community |  Andalusia |
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| Province |  Cádiz |
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| Comarca | Sierra de Cádiz | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 82 km2 (32 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2018)
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| • Total | 2,732 | ||
| • Density | 33.32/km2 (86.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
Setenil de las Bodegas is a special town in the province of Cádiz, Spain. It is famous for its unique houses. Many homes are built right into the natural rock walls of a deep river gorge. This gorge was carved by the Río Trejo.
The town stretches along the river. Some houses use the rock as their roof or back wall. People made these homes by making natural caves bigger and adding outer walls. It's like living inside a mountain!
Setenil is about 157 kilometers (98 miles) northeast of Cádiz. In 2005, about 3,016 people lived there.
Contents
A Look at Setenil's Past
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Modern Setenil grew from an old fortress town. This town was built by the Moors. It sat on a high cliff overlooking a bend in the Rio Trejo. The castle ruins you see today are from at least the 12th century.
People have lived in this area for a very long time. There is proof that Romans were here in the 1st century AD. Some thought Setenil was once a Roman town called Laccipo. But later, it was found that Laccipo became the town of Casares.
Other nearby caves show people lived there over 25,000 years ago. So, it's possible Setenil was also lived in much earlier. But constant building and living would have erased most of that old evidence.
The Reconquista and Setenil's Sieges
The name Setenil comes from a Latin phrase, septem nihil. This means 'seven times nothing'. It refers to how hard the Moorish town fought against Christian attacks. It is said the town was captured only after seven sieges.
These battles happened during the final years of the Reconquista. This was a long period when Christian kingdoms took back land from the Moors in Spain. Setenil was attacked in 1407 but did not fall. Finally, in 1484, Christian forces took the town. They used gunpowder cannons. It took them fifteen days to capture the castle.
This victory was very important for the Castilian kingdom. Many stories and legends grew from it. One story says Queen Isabella I of Castile had a miscarriage during the siege. A small church, called the ermita of San Sebastian, was supposedly built for the child. However, this story is likely not true.
How Setenil de las Bodegas Got Its Name
The full name, Setenil de las Bodegas, came about in the 15th century. After the Christians took over, new settlers arrived. They kept the olive and almond farms that the Arabs had. They also started growing grapes for wine.
The word bodegas means 'wineries' or 'wine cellars'. For a while, the wine business was very successful. But in the 1860s, tiny insects called phylloxera attacked the grapevines. This pest destroyed most of the grape plants in Europe. Because of this, the once-flourishing wineries in Setenil disappeared.
Today, olive and almond trees still grow well in the area.
Population Over Time
Setenil de las Bodegas has seen its population change over the years. Here is a look at how many people lived there:
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1999 | 3,099 | — |
| 2000 | 3,067 | −1.0% |
| 2001 | 3,051 | −0.5% |
| 2002 | 3,043 | −0.3% |
| 2003 | 3,014 | −1.0% |
| 2004 | 3,015 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3,016 | +0.0% |
| Source: INE (Spain) | ||
Images for kids
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See also
In Spanish: Setenil de las Bodegas para niños
