Date Published: 17/07/2024

Archaeological team strengthened at the Los Torrejones site in Yecla

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The complex is known to have existed some 2,400 years ago, prior to the arrival of the Romans in Yecla

Archaeological team strengthened at the Los Torrejones site in Yecla The team of archaeologists working at the archaeological site of Los Torrejones, in the municipality of Yecla (click for map), has been strengthened with the addition of eight more interns, enabling the project to move ahead as attempts are made to establish more facts about the complex’s history.

The summer 2024 dig began on 1^st July and lasts until late September, the main being to prepare the site for the first phase of the plans to turn the area into an open-air museum, particularly the part which contains Moorish thermal baths.

Archaeological team strengthened at the Los Torrejones site in Yecla The site of Los Torrejones is known to have been a prosperous establishment under the Romans between the 1^st and the 4^th century AD, to have remained operational during the following two centuries and to have been taken over by the Moors following the Islamic occupation of southern Spain in the early 8^th century. The Moorish dominance extended into the 13^th and 14^th centuries.

However, the latest excavations have shown that there was also even earlier occupation prior to the arrival of the Romans, in the 4^th and 3^rd centuries BC, and efforts are being made to establish more details.

For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Yecla Today.

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Oficina de Turismo de Yecla

Yecla Tourist Office Yecla is a large municipality in the north of the Region of Murcia, home to just under 35,000 people, and these days is best known for its wines, which enjoy Denomination of Origin status, and its furniture production, which has its origins in the abundance of pine trees on the mountainsides and the high plateaux.

Yecla Tourist Office While visitors in the 21st century may be attracted primarily by wine tourism, the town (or city, as it was proclaimed in 1878) also has a wide historical, cultural and natural heritage, and an identity quite different from the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia. For this reason it is often grouped together with its neighbour and fellow wine-producing area Jumilla as part of the Altiplano area.

Yecla borders with Castilla-La Mancha and the Region of Valencia and is closer to Alicante coastal areas than much of Murcia. These visitors come to see the historic old town itself - an atmospheric and interesting place, crammed full of history - the natural beauty of Monte Arabí, with stunning views for those who enjoy the outdoors, the gastonomy and of course the wine route.

Yecla Tourist Office Yecla boasts cave paintings from 10,000 years ago in Monte Arabí, a Bronze Age settlement at El Arabilejo, Iberian remains in El Pulpillo and a Roman administrative centre at Los Torrejones as well as the remnants of the 11th century Moorish castle on the hill behind the town. More modern (and complete) testimony to the past are the buildings in the town centre, which include the grandiose Basílica de la Purísima, with its striking blue dome, the archaeological museum and the attractive Plaza Mayor, where the 16th century Town Hall stands alongside the Renaissance Casa de los Alarcos, the clock tower and the old grain store.

Yecla Tourist Office The tourist office holds a full selection of leaflets, maps, pre-planned routes, accommodation and restaurant options and information about visiting Yecla for both individuals and groups.