Yecla Murcia
Guide to the town of Yecla, located in Murcia, Spain.
Towns of Murcia Spain - Yecla
Yecla - The historic Spanish town of Yecla sits on the borders of the provinces of Murcia, Albacete and Alicante surrounded by beautiful mountainous countryside. The town and municipality with a population of approximately 31,000 is actually part of the Murcia province and is locted in the extreme nort of that region and has the look of a modern industrial town but with a long and interesting past, much of the old town still remains and there are numerous interesting places to visit reminding us of the towns early history. Yecla is about 96 kilometres from the capital of the region Murcia.
While some evidence exists suggesting that there may have been settlers in and around the area as long ago as 30,000 BC the bulk of early human activity appears to have started during the Bronze Age, in around the second to third Centuries BC. These early inhabitants were followed by the Iberians and some time later by the Romans who introduced viniculture and wine production to the region and would have also organised the 1st organised society.
Very little is known of the early history of the town up until the Moorish occupation when a fortress was built (probably during the 11th Century), remains of which still exist today and also at about this time the town took on its name (then known as ‘Yakka’). The Moors stayed in control until the Christian reconquest in the Mid-Thirteenth Century when Alfonso the Wise (Alfonso X of Castille) took over Yecla in 1243, after which it was annexed to the Marquisate of Villena.
The population of Yecla grew at a steady pace up until the mid-15th Century, when there seems to have been an increase in the urban development of the the town and a rapid increase in population during the Sixteenth Century. This growth soon stopped and was followed by a low period during the Seventeenth Century when a series wars, epidemics, disease and emigration resulted in a fall in both the population and economy of Yecla. Recovery began in earnest during the Eighteenth Century and continued well into the Nineteenth Century when viniculture (grape growing and wine production) were re-introduced and improved by wine merchants from France following an outbreak of Phylloxera in that country which wrecked their industry.
Apart from wine production Yecla is also renowned for the manurfacture of furniture and this industry has become significant for the economy and prosperity of the town.
There are numerous interesting places to visit in and around Yecla and an excellent place to begin is the Plaza Mayor (Town Square) where you will discover the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) and the Tower Prison (Torre de la Cárcel - constructed during the 16th-18th C), the Alarcos Palace (Palacio de los Alarcos - from the 16th Century), and the Clock Tower (17th Century). Other places worth visiting include the ruined Eleventh Century Castle of yecla, the Arciprestal Basilica (built between 1775 and 1868), the Church of San Francisco built by the Franciscans during the Sixteenth Century and the Church of the Assumption also from the 16th Century, there are a number of other churches to see and some interesting museums.
The weekly market in Yecla is held every Wednesday and its famous Furniture Fair takes place during September, if you are looking to buy furniture Yecla is the place to head for. Yecla celebrates a number of festivals and fiestas (as is typical in most Spanish towns) and these include the San Blas which takes place in February, the Romeria de San Marcos held in April, the Fiesta de los Judas celebrated in May and the Feria de Septiembre which is held during September and coincides with the Feast of Saint Martin.
Keen walkers may wish to trek around some of the nearby mountainous areas which include the Sierra de Salinas (rising to a height of 1,238 metres), the Sierra de Magdalena (1,038 metres) and Monte Arabí (1,065 metres).
Yecla can be reached by way of the N-344 northest of Jumilla.
Yecla Links: Yecla Map
Nearby Places: Abanilla - Fortuna - Pinoso - Mula - Jumilla - Sax - Villena - Elda
Golf Courses: Roda Golf Resort - Mar Menor Golf Resort - Spain Golf Courses
Related: Murcia - Cartagena - Los Alcazares - Mar Menor - San Javier - La Manga - Mazarron - Murcia Airport Transfers - Builders
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