A full day out...3, the abandoned goldmine..

We left La Isleta del Moro on the coast and headed inland over to a village that intrigued me, the former mining village of Rodalquilar which sits in the hills 5 km north of it. Your interest is heightened almost immediate after arriving at a 'Y' junction that encourages you to enter the village by the left fork, as soon as you pass the village sign you are met with rows of derelict houses! 

You soon realise that there is in fact a whole abandoned village of them!

Driving further in you come across buildings, a botanic garden and roads that seem to be of this time yet detached from any real village connection.

I had come to visit the old goldmine workings which seemed interesting but there was no indication as to where they were. 

I assumed they must be cut into the side of the mountains so followed a dirt road that took me out of the 'village' with Pauline not following due to, understandably, lack of interest but once I went round a bend expecting ruins and all I got was more dirt I headed back.     

Going along the dirt path I could actually see that far from being a ghost village as I had thought there was in fact a pueblo blanco to the side of the abandoned village.

I caught back up with Pauline and we returned to the area around the church where it was obvious a lot of money had been spent on its roads 

I went away disappointed at not finding the old mine workings and drove down the long boulevard with nothing either side to the 'new village' which did not consist of much at all other what looked like a small art gallery and cafe. Once we got back I did a bit more research only to find if we had gone around the mountain the other way this is the site we would come across! 

I got the image from this site which also gave a little history of the village. During mediaeval times it was an important source of alum, a vital ingredient for the textile industry. In the nineteenth century gold was discovered and the village expanded to accommodate workers who joined the 'gold rush'. The last mine closed however in 1966 and the village was abandoned. Then in the 1980s a group of German artists bought derelict houses in the village, others followed and gradually the community started to grow again with the village having around 250 people today, still loads of opportunities!

I also found out the the old mine and abandoned houses have been used as filming locations for a number of movies.

Note to self: do more research!