History of Jimena and La Fabrica
La Fabrica de Bombas and the River Hozgarganta
In 1777 King Carlos III commissioned the building of this Real Fabrica (Royal Factory) for the production of cannon balls initially to be used for the Siege of Gibraltar, but destined thereafter for the Indies. Inside the walls of the factory were a total of 24 buildings which included workshops, offices, houses for the employees, a church, a pharmacy, an ironmongers and a carpenters shop. Outside the factory walls, a long channel was built along the river so that its water could be harnessed to turn the great waterwheel which powered the bellows of the factory.
However, the design of the factory did not take into account the fact that the river completely dries up during the summer months, rendering the factory useless for at least 4 months of the year. As a result, it only functioned for 11 years and was abandoned in 1789 in favor of another similar mill near the village of San Pablo de Buciete. La Real Fabrica de Carlos III is known locally as La Fabrica de Bombas (The Bomb Factory). La Fabrica at Jimena de la Frontera is one of the most important industrial archeological sites in Andalusia today.
Along the Hozgarganta River is a footpath that was created by the Romans (seen in the picture above left where the donkey is walking), who carved their way into the limestone rock. La Fabrica’s water channel runs beside it.
Before the bridge at Pasada de Alcalá was built in the early ’60s, this was the way the people of the village crossed the river (known as ‘El Rincon’). The photograph here shows a party of children crossing the river on their way to school.
The White Village of Jimena de la Frontera
The origins of the village of Jimena are very old. It has in turn been occupied by the Iberians (descendants of late bronze age people), Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans when it was known as Oba. Initially bypassed by the Muslims in 711, it wasn’t until the end of the 12th century that the battle lines of the Reconquest moved as far south as Andalusia and the construction of the Moorish castle began. The town was then renamed Ximena (later to become Jimena) de la Frontera, denoting its front line status. Today Jimena is one of the 25 plus villages that make up the Pueblos Blanco (white villages of Cadiz province). Their name comes from their whitewashed walls which contrast with the windows and balconies filled with pink and red flowers and the bright blue sky of summer.
The Castle
The Romans settled in about 100BC and built the castle which dominates the Jimena skyline. Pictured below right is the entrance tower, where you can still see the beautiful squared stonework and the remains of a temple to the west. The town was occupied until around 350AD when the entire town was abandoned, although no-one knows why. From around 1150 until 1456, Jimena was part of the Moorish empire, the remains of the moorish castle is pictured below (top left). It was then that people moved down the hill and built their houses where the present village now stands.
