Spanish Cave Homes

Spanish cave homes are literally history carved from rock, first inhabited by the Moors caves were later used as dwellings by poorer Spanish families for generations. Later, around the 1950’s many caves were left abandoned as families moved to nearby villages to work and also rid the stigma of being “poor”.
The reputation attached with cave homes sharply changed with the dawn of the new millennium. Eco homes were in demand, accompanied by the adventurous expatriate who required a rural location in Spain, the Spanish cave dwellings experienced a revival that neither the Spanish nor the estate agents selling them expected.
On the A92 trunk road you will pass the village of Galera, a picturesque village predominantly made up of cave dwellings. Orce village lies 7km to the west, the landscape pock marked with old and newly reformed cave dwellings, many of which have been turned into well appointed under-ground homes. Indeed our own home is made up of ten hand picked rooms with chimney and sky lights.
The caves of Andalucia have been dug into sedimentary rock, in most cases a "slab" of rock which can be meters thick lies above and is impervious to water. Caves can even be on two levels joined by a staircase and modern day renovated caves have out buildings attached to the front (normally for the bathroom and kitchen) Old cortijo's can have cave rooms dug into the hillside behind the house, once such building exists in Fuente Nueva near Orce and has its own "cave church" 40 meters into the hillside.
Each dwelling is unique with different layouts and geographic positions, windows and doors are always to the front of the property although there are many which have carved through a hill and boast windows and doors to the rear. Eco living is certainly an aspect of residing in a cave throughout the year; the insulating qualities of these dwellings are superb so the need for gas central heating is not required. The temperature remains around 17- 24 degrees all year so warm in the winter months and cool in the summer, the latter being a distinct advantage when the Andalucian dry heat begins to approach forty degrees outside.
Many older caves may have housed animals in days gone by just in the same manner as historical houses throughout Europe. Feeding troughs, stables and animal pens have now been tastefully transformed into bars, bedrooms and living areas which house modern televisions, offices and cosy rooms for residents or guests. The fact that caves have walls that can be meters thick not only ensures insulation but also blocks out (and keeps in) noise pollution so a good nights sleep is guaranteed.
There are also some interesting features inside caves which may go unnoticed to the un-trained eye. For example some cave rooms can have a small picture frame sized hole joining one room to another – the reason for this is so a Mother can hear her baby/young children during the night. Smoothed olive wood branches, in some cases quite ornate can be seen protruding high up on the wall for hanging cured sausages such as chorizo or salchichon. Skylights are popular through holes tediously carved through the ceiling but is far from the purpose that they were designed for; it is believed that hay and straw were dropped through these holes for the animals.
Of course we cannot mention Cave dwellings without mentioning “Flamenco”. You can still visit Sacromonte in Granada city and experience the art of flamenco directly inside one the famous cave dwellings in the city – an experience to be had with a wonderful atmosphere, almost taking you back in history.
The village of Orce lies in the “Altiplano”, the village itself being some 3000ft above sea level surrounded by mountains (“mountain” giving the Serrano ham its name), the nearest being the Sierra de Umbria which to an extent has its own micro climate. Cave houses really do come into their own being situated so high up, weather conditions can vary from hour to hour, three feet of snow can fall overnight and temperatures can soar during a hot July or August, caves give the necessary protection and always remain comfortable no matter what the elements are outdoors.
Most modern day cave dwellings still date back around 100 – 150 years with some being even older than this. It is hard to believe that these old caves were dug out using nothing but hand tools, determination and skill. The rock also needs to be certain consistency which varies from area to area, one common feature are arched ceilings as this design maintains strength within the structure, similar to a hump backed bridge.
It has taken less than three decades for the popularity and reputation of traditional Spanish cave houses to completely reverse. Up until even the early 1970’s caves provided good homes for many Spanish families but in a rapidly progressing world it was largely the minority who still resided in cave dwellings. Later, in the 1990’s cave houses began to have a revival and by the early years of the millennium a cave was (and remains to be) a sensible choice for property in rural Andalucia.