A walk through Rubite following the traces of time

The name Rubite, according to some, derives from Mozarabic language and means ‘bramble’ or ‘blackberry’, whilst the most widely accepted and plausible hypothesis suggests an Arabic origin, meaning ‘small rábita’ (fortified hermitage). Its inhabitants are known as ‘rubiteños’ or by the colloquial patronymic ‘los Güenos’.

The first traces of human habitation in Rubite date back to the Copper Age (2500–1800 BC), with evidence of a mid-mountain settlement in the vicinity of Cortijo del Peñón. With the arrival and spread of Islam across the Iberian Peninsula, the Arabs settled in Ubrite (the farmstead or cortijo of Rubite el Alto) around the 10th century, and Rubite was settled in the following century.

Following the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Granada in the early 16th century, Rubite and its surroundings, which belonged to the taha (administrative district) of Suhayl, became part of the Cehel district, a part of the entailed estate established in 1512 by Luis Zapata Portocarrero and María de Chaves, who were granted favors and privileges by the Crown in recognition of their services. This estate later passed into the hands of the Count of Cifuentes and ultimately to the Count of Santa Coloma.

After the expulsion of the Moriscos, like the rest of the villages in the area, Rubite was repopulated in 1588, but its population growth really took off in the second half of the 18th century. The districts of Haza Llana and part of Pecho were added to the village, which until then had consisted of the three original Nasrid districts (Cerrillo, Iglesia and Chorro). The rest of its territory was gradually occupied by numerous farmsteads, significantly expanding the number from the three that existed in the 17th century.

The prosperity of the vineyards led to a population boom and Rubite reached almost 2,200 inhabitants by 1877, when its wines won several prizes at the Madrid Agricultural Exhibition. However, the phylloxera epidemic in 1883 devastated the vineyards and ruined most of Rubite’s humble families. The situation was exacerbated by several adverse weather events during this decade and by the catastrophic earthquake on Christmas Day 1884 and its powerful aftershocks in early January 1885. All this, coupled with the authorities’ indifference and their oppressive tax policies, led to a tragic exodus of people to various countries in the Americas and other regions of Spain.

From 1920 to 1950, despite the constraints of the Civil War, population levels gradually recovered but did not reach those of 1877. However, the harsh post-war autarky and the subsequent crisis of 1973 led to a new exodus of people – seasonal or permanent – to the Americas, France, large Spanish cities and the nearby coast – due to the new opportunities presented by greenhouse farming –, resulting in a population of 434 inhabitants by 2024.

The appearance of the old village has changed significantly over time; in fact, at the entrance, on Avenida de Andalucía, there are some historic sites and buildings that have undergone considerable changes.

The current fountain was built in 1807 and has undergone various repairs and alterations in its structure and water supply. The Moorish threshing floor was situated where the building above the fountain and part of the doctor’s office now stand. The area comprising the former school and teachers’ houses was the communal space for drying figs and grapes in Moorish times. Opposite the church, where the former priest’s house stands, was the cemetery, which was moved to its current location in 1895.

A place where certain duties or taxes were paid. The square is now dedicated to Don Saturnino, a remarkable teacher during the Republic. This was the site of the first town hall, which also housed the municipal granary in 1823, and later a nursery school and a library. Next to the granary, the local prison was established at the same time. It later became the teacher’s house and was eventually demolished to enlarge the square.

This viewpoint offers a privileged vantage point to look at the cortijo of Rubite el Alto as well as much of the land of the estate founded in the mid-17th century by the parish priest, Don Antonio Enciso, the foothills of the Sierra de la Contraviesa, or catch a glimpse of the old michar or Mudejar-era farmhouse, the Arrastraderos path or the rambla (dry riverbed) of Castell de Ferro with its greenhouses and the sea in the background.

Towards the end of the 18th century, Rubite acquired a still to distil lower-quality wines and turn them into eau-de-vie or other spirits, but it was dismantled during the Civil War, and the copper from the still was turned into ammunition. Opposite it, one can see some remains of the old mechanized flour mill, which continued to operate until the early 1970s.

In the Iglesia district, the former local oil mill once housed the mosque. There is also the home of the Vázquez family, a wealthy line of livestock farmers belonging to the Mesta Council, who had a prominent role in the life of the municipality. Opposite this property stood the family wine cellar. Next to it was the town hall which, after various renovations, apart from the rooms used for local political and administrative affairs, housed a library, the municipal jail and even a girls’ school. Adjacent to the town hall stood a building with a cellar used for the collection of manorial dues by the houses of Santa Coloma and Cifuentes.

The barrio de Allá or Chorro district was the third of the Moorish quarters. Passing the house of Don Nicolás Rubio-Argüelles, a distinguished naval surgeon, we come to what was once the family home of the Moreno Pérez family, which at one time served as the barracks of the Guardia Civil, connected to an adjoining orchard where the original Moorish fountain once stood. Next is the Casa de los Pereas, which once housed the pharmacy and has now been converted into a guesthouse; further on, and lacking any notable architectural features, stands the birthplace of Colonel Villalobos, a guerrilla fighter and local hero during the War of Independence against France.