Puente de Tablate

Puente de Tablate is a stone bridge spanning the Tablate ravine in the municipality of El Pinar, in the province of Granada, right on the boundary between the Valle de Lecrín and the Alpujarra. For centuries it marked one of the key crossing points on the route linking Granada with the coast and the mountains of the Alpujarra, and today it stands as a witness to the region's turbulent history, drawing history enthusiasts and hikers alike.

Where does the name Tablate come from?

The name derives from the Latin word tabulatus (meaning "boarded" or "planked"), itself coming from tabula ("board" or "plank"). This suggests a crossing existed here as far back as Roman times, long before Muslim rule in Al-Andalus. The steep ravine has always demanded a bridge — without one, travel from Granada toward the Alpujarra would have been practically impossible.

What is the history of the Nasrid bridge?

The Nasrid bridge still standing at Tablate today is modest in size for its historical importance: 2.80 metres wide and 19 metres long, built around a single semicircular arch of masonry. Despite its small dimensions, it played an enormous strategic role, since it was the only convenient crossing over the deep ravine on the road from Granada to the coast.

The bridge became a battleground more than once. In 1491, during the Granada War, the crossing was significant in clashes between Nasrid and Castilian forces. In 1499, during the first Morisco uprising in the Alpujarra, the bridge was destroyed by the rebels in an attempt to halt the advancing Castilian troops. The Catholic Monarchs ordered its reconstruction in 1502, entrusting the work to Alonso Enríquez, then corregidor of Granada, and a toll was established on travellers to help finance the rebuilding.

Another dramatic episode unfolded during the Alpujarras War in 1569. On 10 January of that year, the Marquis of Mondéjar arrived at the site with 2,000 infantry and 400 cavalry, while the rebels — numbering around 3,500 — had broken the bridge and dug in on the opposite side of the ravine to try to stop the royal troops.

How many bridges cross the Tablate ravine?

What makes Tablate remarkable is that three separate bridges cross the very same ravine, each built in a different era. Lowest down stands the historic Nasrid bridge. Above it, built in 1859, is a 19th-century bridge on the Granada–Motril road, constructed some thirty metres below the old medieval crossing but higher up the ravine than the Nasrid bridge itself. Highest of all runs the modern Costa Tropical motorway, whose twin viaducts — Tablate I and Tablate II — opened in 1995 and 2002 respectively. Together, these three crossings, built centuries apart, offer a striking cross-section of the region's road-building history.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Right next to the bridge lies the abandoned village of Tablate, whose origins trace back to an Arab farmstead (alquería) that controlled passage across the ravine. The village was gradually depopulated from the 1960s onward, a process that concluded in the early 1990s. Its parish church of Santiago, built between 1561 and 1563, still stands today. The Nasrid bridge is now a protected cultural heritage site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Puente de Tablate located? The bridge lies in the municipality of El Pinar, in the province of Granada, spanning the Tablate ravine on the boundary between the Valle de Lecrín and the Alpujarra, along the old route connecting Granada with the coast.

What is the difference between the three bridges at Tablate? The oldest is the medieval Nasrid bridge; above it stands a 19th-century road bridge from 1859; and highest of all runs the modern Costa Tropical motorway, with viaducts opened in 1995 and 2002.

Why was the bridge strategically important? It was the only practical crossing over the deep ravine on the route from Granada to the Alpujarra and the coast, which made it a repeated target during the wars of the 15th and 16th centuries.

What can be seen in the abandoned village of Tablate? The remains of the former settlement and the parish church of Santiago, built between 1561 and 1563, which testify to the site's historical significance.