If you ride through the Almanzora valley, you cannot miss the marble. The roads are lined with workshops, the squares are made of stone, and on the hills above the town there are white scars: the quarries of Macael.
Five thousand years of white stone
The marble of Macael has been used for thousands of years. Some sources credit the Argar culture and the Phoenicians as the first to use it. The Romans and the Muslims kept using it: Macael marble is found in the Alcazaba of Almería and in Medina Azahara, near Córdoba.
Macael marble is also linked to the Alhambra in Granada, and it appears in many monuments of Andalusia.
The quarries
Today more than 120 quarries work an area of more than 6,600 hectares around the town. The white marble is the most famous, but there are other colours too.
What to see
- The Centro de Interpretación del Mármol is an interactive museum about the history of marble. A guided option includes a carving workshop. Check the opening hours, the price and the booking with the Macael tourism office.
- The viewpoint of the quarries, to see the work from above.
- The ruins of Macael Viejo, the old town.
- In the Plaza de la Constitución, a replica of the Fountain of the Lions of the Alhambra, and a giant marble mortar 3.5 m high and weighing 36 tonnes.
How to visit
Plan about half a day. Guided visits that include the quarries are offered by local operators, and it is better to book in advance. If you ride, see our guide to the Filabres and Calar Alto.
Near our routes
The climbs El Reul Alto and Alto de la Silveria run through the marble country, and Macael has good places to eat (see our picks in the Filabres guide).
Photos of Macael: ANESTRELLA (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Roquex (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons. Other photos: Ride Almería.