Purullena stands out by its great amount of houses-cave and being a town eminently artisan and agriculturist. It is famous by its ceramics decorated with blue cobalt with the technique of the multicoloured reflection, whose tradition goes back to the XVI century and whose pieces expose and sell in stores-cave. “A mind-blowing villa”, in words of the historian Carlos Asenjo Sedano, “which remains hung from the clays of the cárcavas that are offered in infinity of amazing pinguruchos” and in whose underground houses the legend says that the famous smuggler Jose Maria “ El Tempranillo” took refuge.

The district has one of the most important sites of the province. In the place of Cuesta del Negro a fortified enclosure dated in the Argaric culture in 1800 b. C. was discovered. Almost fifty tombs, all of them with varied and rich belongings were excavated in its cemetery. Many of these archaeological rests are exhibited at the moment in the Archaeological Museum of Granada.

History

Purullena was inhabited since Prehistoric times. Archaeological rests that date from the 3000 before Christ have been found. It is the old Roman villa of Purullius, transformed soon into farmhouse of Guadix by the Muslims. Its name makes reference to the defensive towers that were constructed in the Middle Age over the Fardes river to prevent the penetration of the Christian knights camped in Cazorla. Because it was  border land it had special prominence in the Nasrid period, until in 1489 it was conquered definitively by the Catholic Kings and gave it to Juan de Benavides. Later it became anejo of Marchal and elevated by the Catholic Kings to the category of Real Villa, which still shines in his district title.

Gastronomy

The typical dishes of its gastronomy, like gachas pimentonas or the rice with snails, were already famous in the XVIII century and at the moment they are still being cooked with the same recipe and the same care. This town is also very known by the quality of its peaches. In fact, in Purullena they have their own celebration dedicated to the peach. In addition, it is possible to enjoy good bread, good wine, varied and fresh vegetables and all the care of a gastronomy with a lot of tradition.

Museums and monuments

- Museo etnológico Cuevas La Inmaculada

- Paroquial Church of San Martín. It is a Mudejar building of rectangular plant and a single section. It has a magnificent caisson ceiling made in 1558 by Baltasar de la Hoya and an artistic altarpiece signed, among others, by Dionisio de Ávila. The tower, located at the feet, consists in two brick bodies plus the one of bells, which appears crowned by an iron capital in Neogothic style. The main facade has semi-circular arc and cornice.