Cehegín

Sister cities

• Besançon
• Mataró

History

The name Cehegín is sometimes connected by Spanish historians with that of the Zenaga, Senhaja or Senajeli, a North African tribe that invaded Spain in the 11th century. The whole of this territory is layer upon layer of all the various cultures that established themselves here, the first settlers going back to 2400 BC. Reconquered by Alfonso VI with 1,000 horsemen and 11,000 infantrymen, Cehegín is one vast hilltop monument. Cave paintings at Peña Rubia, a few kilometers outside the town, attest to the area being settled during prehistoric times. The town of Begastri, now abandoned, was settled during the later Bronze Age and was an important town during the time that the region was occupied by the Romans and the Visigoths. With the arrival of the Moors, the town center shifted to its present location at Cehegín. Remains of the Moorish city walls can still be seen, for example at the Puerta de Caravaca. The archaeological museum can also be found in the old town, where the exhibition includes a small fragment of Attic red-figure pottery dated to the 4th century BC. Many conquistadors returned from South America with their riches and built large manorial houses in the old town. The old town has been revitalised recently by an influx of foreign (mainly British) buyers, who have renovated many of the older properties that were falling into disrepair. Before it was given the name Cehegín, the town was called Bigastro (not to be confused with the district of Bigastro in the Valencian Community) and began to be an episcopal see when the bishop of Cartagena fled there after the Visigothic king Suintila () destroyed that city. It remained a bishopric until Bigastro in its turn was destroyed by Arabs at the end of the 7th century. No longer a residential diocese, Bigastro…

Geography

Quípar River traverses the municipality from the west to the northeast. Other remarkable landforms are three mountain ranges, which are located in the southern half. The municipality hosts the following localities: * the main town, which is located in the west and has a population of 12,888 * Canara, which is in the north-western quarter and is inhabited by 561 * Campillo y Suertes, where 224 people live * Valentín, which is placed in the north end and is home to 377 people * Cañara de Canara, which is located in the northern half and is home to 182 people * Chaparral, which is placed in the eastern half and is inhabited by 170 people * Campillo de Los Jiménez, which occurs in the northern half and is home to 163 people * Carrasquilla, which is located in the northern half and has a population of 114 * El Escobar, which occurs in the south of the northern half and is home to 88 people * Ribazo, which is placed in the south of the northern half and has a population of 81 * Burete, which is located in the southern half and is inhabited by 8 people * Gilico, which is placed in the north-west and is inhabited by 1 person.

Most-observed species

• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  290
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  275
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  263
• Sardinian Warbler

  Curruca melanocephala (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  229
• European Serin

  Serinus serinus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  226
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  223
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  219
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  218