Íllar

Illar municipality consists of a single village, which is located on the right bank of the Rio Andarax (Andarax river) on a hill located at the foot of the Sierra de Gádor, at an altitude of 425 m. The township development with a long north-south, is traversed in direction from west to east along the Rio Andarax, rising slightly by the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada and more broadly by the north face of the Sierra de Gádor. The steep slopes characterize the entire territory, which led to the terracing of the hillsides for farming.
Communicated by the road Lanjarón to Almería, being a small town, as befits its current population, 431 inhabitants, in clear decline since the early twentieth century was about 1,200 residents. The village has a somewhat flat structure, which contrasts sharply with the rugged surroundings.

History
Its origin appears to be Arabic, located its first site with El Lugarejo, near the present village.
The first written documentation of the people is Muslim period, given by the Almeria´s geographer Idrisi in the twelfth century, to join in settlement activity and foundation Urs al-Yaman (name of the area from Pechina in the IX century) of some 20 castles, which were designed to ensure control of the territory and increase their tax capacity.
From the thirteenth century, Illar has part of  taha de Marchena when Al-Andalus is reduced to the Kingdom of Granada, where the traditional stronghold of the family-Nayar or Infantes de Almería.
After the surrender of Baza and Almeria Capitulaciones in 1489, Illar ceases to be Muslim to begin its modern history under the new religious power, a new type of buildings give way to the bell tower where it was the Muslim minaret, like the church parish, dedicated to Santa Ana, built in the seventeenth century, with Mudejar style.
The former taha Marchena is granted to Don Gutierres Cárdenas Chacón and by the Catholic Monarchs in 1494, in reward for his assistance during the Reconquista (it´s the name of the old war when the moors was been expulsated of Spain by the christians), then known as the manor of Cárdenas and subsequently with his son, is the Duchy of Maqueda.
With the expulsion of the Moors, Illar is depopulated, that crisis will stabilize in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Breaks with the nineteenth century liberalism and the abolition of the domains in 1835, a fact of great significance for Illar to get a new system of municipal and legal independence.
The century is characterized by an increasing population and a enrichment generated by the cultivation of la uva de Ohanes (Ohanes´ grapes), carrying out new construction to improve the urban village, as the source and sink in 1871, the Roundabout and the City, Style Historism, which has lost its historic character by its recent construction.
This situation continues into the early decades of the twentieth century, subsequent to its discontinuation as a result of drought and social problems linked with the Civil War and a hard war. Currently depopulation and drought are the main problems, which are being overcome through new policies and regional entrepreneurship of its people, encouraged by the new winds of recovery times of the modern countryside.

Items of Interest
CHURCH
Responds to the type of Mudejar church nave rectangular chapel by an individual arc. The chapel is covered with a square armature limabordón with almizate apeinazado while the ship also offers a bundle of limabordón incomplete. The current armor are modern reconstructions of the primitive and are limited to structural elements. On the gospel side of the chapel opens a curious stucco home with carved wooden door that leads to the sacristy, which holds the tower to stay low. This presents a rectangular floor and walls were built with a slight slope to the body of bells, which has a success with half point arch on each side and covered with a roof to four waters. The door of the feet is reduced to a half-point arc which is cut directly into the wall, while the home side of the gospel is framed by stone and appears as a molding alfiz.
This church was also under the dominion of the Duke of Maqueda, to collect the tithes and was obliged to its construction and maintenance. In 1530 there were lime and stone at the foot of the work and had begun to open ditches, which would be built in the second third of the S. XVI. Burnt by the Moors during the rebellion, in 1578 Mass was said in the old ", possibly the old mosque. Reconstruirían armor is at the end of S. Sixteenth or early seventeenth and the middle of S. XVIII just needed to open a window in the sacristy. Ethnological interest - Uniqueness: It is a good example of Mudejar churches erected in the second third of the S. XVI in the old manor of Marchena. The size of the tower and give it a little vain aspect semifortaleza.

ERMITA DE LAS ANIMAS
A quadrangular small chapel, built in masonry. Cover consists of half dome, topped by a cross of iron forging.

MAIN SOURCE
Source of great dimensions, with two distinct areas, one occupied by a column run in stone, high in the low to be seen carved six holes to put the jars, on it, topped by a pediment, three plumes, in which center is a inscription "MAIN SOURCE OF YEAR 1879." In the pediment is located six pipes. The other area adjacent to the above, is occupied by a pillar run, with an entablature surmounted by four pipes plume of stone.
Built in 1879. Collects water from a nearby mine of the same name.

ACUEDUCTO DE LA FABRIQUILLA (THE AQUEDUCT OF FABRIQUILLA)
Tion of the aqueduct of Fabriquilla (Bentarique), single vain with half point arch, built of brick, like the batteries, the rest is masonry. Highlights the effective width of 1.25 m.

ÁRBOLES DE LA GLORIETA DE SANTA ANA (TREE OF GLORIETA SANTA ANA)
Set of trees from the Glorieta de Santa Ana, consisting of 3 bananas, adjacent to the large raft, four palm trees, and also with the raft, two elms.
About 150 years of bananas, palms and elms planted in 1926 in the mid-40.

MIRADOR DE LA CUARESMA (MIRADOR OF LENT)
Large veranda, overlooking the village, Sierra Nevada  and valley of Andarax. Garden areas.