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Güéjar Sierra (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Güéjar Sierra - Image from the Símbolos de Granada website, 13 March 2021

Presentation of Güéjar Sierra
Symbols of Güéjar Sierra

See also:

Presentation of Güéjar Sierra

The municipality of Güéjar Sierra (2,857 inhabitants in 2020; 23,895 ha; municipal website) is located 20 km east of Granada. A great part of the large municipal territory is included in the Sierra Nevada National Park; Güéjar Sierra shares with Capileira and Trevélez the top of Mulhacén, Iberia's highest point (3,479 m).
The municipality is composed of the town of Güéjar Sierra and of the village of Canales (59 inh.).

Güéjar Sierra was established by the Moors as Qaryat Walyar, a settlement watched by two fortresses, one located atop El Fuerte hill, the other located a top El Castillejo hill. El Castillejo fort, aka Linza castle, was erected during the late Roman rule and increased by Amir-ben-Adballa, who defeated and killed Tello de Castro at the fort's gate in 711.
Reconquered on 25 November 1491, Güéjar Sierra was incorporated to the town of Granada in May 1492. When the Catholic Monarchs decided to dismantle 17 out of the more than 100 fortresses recorded in the kingdom of Granada, El Castillejo was preserved. In 1499, Archbishop of Toledo Francisco Jiménez Cisneros ordered the conversion of "renegade" Mudéjars (Christians who had converted to Islam) to the Christian religion, which caused the Mudéjar uprising in late December 1499. In the Granada plain, only Pinillos and Güejar Sierra joined the rebellion; the El Castillejo fort, where the 2,500 inhabitants of the village had entrenched themselves, surrendered on 28 January 1500 after the betrayal of some of its defenders. The revolted Mudéjars were christened and sold as slaves in Granada.
Güéjar Sierra was also a hotspot in the Morisco uprising, which ended on 24 December 1569 with the seizure of the town after three months of guerilla. After the expelling of the Moriscos, the area was re-settled by Pedro de Deza.

The Sierra Nevada tramway was built from 1921 to 1944 by a company established on 1905 by the Duke of San Pedro, who owned 30% of its shares. The first branch of the line, connecting Granada to Canales, was inaugurated on 21 February 1925; a few months later, the line was extended to Güéjar Sierra. The 18 km-long line includes 14 tunnels and 21 bridges; extended to Maitena in 1928 and Barranco de San Juan in 1944, the Sierra Nevada tramway was eventually closed on 7 December 1973, deemed no longer profitable and replaced by modern roads.

Ivan Sache, 13 March 2021

Symbols of Güéjar Sierra

The flag and arms of Güéjar Sierra, adopted on 30 November 2020 by the Municipal Council and submitted on 21 January 2021 to the Directorate General of the Local Administration, are prescribed by a Resolution issued on 28 January 2021 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 4 February 2021 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 23, pp. 101-103 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag: The proposed design of a flag for Güéjar Sierra is founded on the evidence that the municipality never had a flag. Accordingly, the proposed flag is of rectangular shape, with proportions of 3 units in length on 2 units in width, divided into three horizontal stripes, the central of double width. The upper stripe is divided into two triangular sectors delimited by a diagonal running from the stripe's lower left to upper right corner. The upper triangle is blue (Pantone Solid coated 542C), symbolizing the sky. The lower triangle is white, merging with the central stripe. The central stripe is also white, a color representing the snow on Sierra Nevada [lit., Snowy Mountain]. The flag's lower stripe is diagonally divided, like the upper stripe. The upper triangle is also white to obtain the same effect, merging with the central stripe, while the lower triangle is land green (Pantone Solid Coated 7494C), representing the municipality's vegetation. The municipal coat of arms shall be placed in the flag's center, its center matching the intersection of the flag's diagonals.

The inner and outer dimensions are compliant with the standards accepted for the flags of the Community of Andalusia and of the Kingdom of Spain. Those two flags shall be hoisted jointly with the municipal flag on public buildings to obtain a vexillological unity.
The standards are: 1.50 m x 1.00 m, 2.10 m x 1.35 m, 2.80 m x 1.80 m, and 3.50 m x 2.25 m. Accordingly, they are compliant with Law No. 39 promulgated on 28 October 1981 that regulates the use of the Spanish flag, with special emphasis on Article 6.2 of this Law. The flag proposed for the municipality of Güéjar Sierra has a direct connection with its geographical environment and is directly connected with the colors used in the coat of arms.

Coat of arms: Heraldic support of the coat of arms of the municipality of Güéjar Sierra.
The created coat of arms is faithfully compliant with the aforementioned presuppositions and with the current legal norms. Here are the most significant features and elements of the coat of arms designed for the municipality.
- Shape of the shield. A typical shield proper to Spanish heraldry.
- Proportions of the shield. The shield's dimensions are 6 units in width on 5 in length, according to the common use.
- Divisions. The coat of arms features a shield divided per fess, with the lower quarter divided per pale, a central field and a grafted base. Composed of three well-defined fields, the shield features:
1. In the upper quarter, a field azure (Pantone Celestial 643C) charged with the silhouette of Sierra Nevada argent (Pantone Grey 431C), Alcazaba and Mulhacén peaks included, the mountain's flanks decorated with diagonal stripes vert (Pantone Green 542). The mountain's silhouette is a representation of the Sierra Nevada skyline as it can be observed from Güéjar Sierra's main settlement.
2. In the lower dexter quarter, a field azure (Pantone Celestial 643C) charged with the tower of the Christian church argent (Pantone Grey 429C) with the roof gules (Pantone Red 485C). This is the tower of the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, the municipality's landmark.
3. In the lower sinister quarter, a field azure (Pantone Celestial 643C) charged with a mountain goat proper (Pantone Brown 157C) standing on a rock argent (Pantone Grey 431C and 429C). The goat is a Capra pyrenaica hispanica, a species autochtonous to Sierra Nevada and representative of its biodiversity. 4. In the center, a diamond with background argent (Pantone Gray xxx) charged with three cherries gules (Pantone Red 485C). This refers to cherry cultivation, which is so important for the municipality's income.
5. In base, a background argent (Pantone Gray 429C) charged with a pomegranate slipped vert (Pantone Green 542C) and fructed gules (Pantone Red 485C and Pantone Dark Red 7621C). This symbol emphasizes the belonging of the municipality to the Kingdom of Granada and, nowadays, to the Province of Granada.
- The shield surmounted by the Spanish Royal Crown. This is a synthetic representation of the crown closed proper to the Spanish monarchy, which maintains its curved shapes and the Latin cross.
- Beneath the shield is placed a scroll inscribed with the municipality's name "Güéjar Sierra" surrounded by three stars on each side, alluding to the famous Vereda de la Estrella.

The Iberian ibex, colloquially known as mountain goat (cabra montés) belongs to species Capra pyrenaica, Schinz (1838). The most generally accepted taxonomy of the species considers four subspecies with distinct geographical distributions:
- Capra pyrenaica hispanica, Schimper (1848); populations are recorded from Gibraltar to the mouth of Ebro, the biggest having been recorded in Sierra Nevada and adjacent mountains (c. 16,000).
- Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica, Schinz (1838); recorded on the two sides of the Pyrenees, the subspecies got extincted long ago in France, while its last Spanish representative died in 2000 in Ordesa National Park.
- Capra pyrenaica lusitanica, Schlegel (1872); recorded in Sierra de Géres (Portugal) and in a few spots in Galician mountains, the subspecies got extincted in the 19th century.
- Capra pyrenaica victoriae, Cabrea (1911); recorded in Sierra de Gredos, the subspecies was preserved from extinction by protection measures adopted in 1905 by King Alfonso XIII. Population is evaluated at c. 8,000.
[J.E. Granados, J.M. Pérez, F.J. Márquez, E. Serrano, R.C. Soriguer, P. Fandos. 2001. La cabra montés (Cabra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838) Galemys 13, 3-37]

La Vereda de la Estrella (Star's Trail) is a very popular route in Güéjar Sierra, with a low difficulty making it quite affordable for family or friends, as well as for those who are starting out in this sport. It is advisable to enjoy it especially in autumn for the beauty of the prints that are left the by the chestnut and walnut trees.
[Güéjar Sierra Tourism]

Ivan Sache, 13 March 2021