Torre de Cerrillos

Torre de Cerrillos is a 16th-century watchtower standing on the boundary between the municipalities of El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar, right on the Almería coastline. This small stone structure once served as a lookout post guarding against seaborne raids, and today it remains one of the few surviving witnesses to the old coastal defence system of southern Spain.

What is Torre de Cerrillos?

Torre de Cerrillos is a defensive tower built to protect the coast from attacks by Barbary pirates. It has a circular floor plan, is built of rubble masonry bonded with lime mortar, and was originally rendered with plaster. The interior was tiny, large enough for only two or three men, whose job was to scan the sea and raise the alarm whenever a threat appeared. The tower is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, Spain's top heritage protection category, a status it received in 1993.

What is the history behind the tower?

The coastal defence network in this stretch of Almería dates back to the 14th century, when Yusuf I, sultan of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, ordered the reinforcement of the coastline in response to growing attacks from the sea. Under his vizier, Abu al-Nuayn Ridwan, a chain of watchtowers was built to communicate visually with one another, all facing the Mediterranean — among them Torre de Cerrillos, Torre de los Bajos and Torre de las Roquetas.

The tower as it stands today, however, dates from the late 16th century and was built during the reign of Philip II, likely on the foundations of an earlier Muslim structure. Its construction is generally dated to around 1575, a period when the Spanish crown was expanding its network of coastal watchtowers along the Almería shore to protect fishing communities and farmland from raiding corsairs.

Where is it located and what does it look like today?

The tower stands right at the water's edge, on the administrative border between El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar, two municipalities in the western part of Almería province known as the Poniente Almeriense. The surrounding landscape is typical of this stretch of coast: flat, sun-drenched terrain dotted with the region's characteristic greenhouse farming (the so-called "sea of plastic"), running right up against the open Mediterranean. Though modest in scale compared to larger Andalusian coastal fortifications, Torre de Cerrillos stands out for its well-preserved cylindrical shape and serves as a clear landmark along the shoreline.

Why is it worth seeing?

Torre de Cerrillos is a tangible example of the defensive architecture that shaped the safety of southern Spain's coastal communities for centuries. For anyone interested in regional history, it offers a direct link to an era when the Almería coast was under constant threat from the sea, and a chain of watchtowers formed the first line of warning. It also makes a good waypoint for a coastal walk between El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar, where the landscape combines sea, beach and the region's distinctive agricultural backdrop.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Torre de Cerrillos built? The tower's current form dates from the late 16th century, around 1575, during the reign of Philip II, although the defensive network at this site traces back to the 14th-century Nasrid watchtower chain.

What was the tower used for? It functioned as a lookout post — its small garrison of two or three men watched for Barbary pirate ships and raised the alarm for the surrounding population when danger appeared.

Where exactly is the tower located? On the border between the municipalities of El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar, in Almería province, right on the Mediterranean coastline.

Can visitors go inside the tower? The tower is a protected heritage site (Bien de Interés Cultural) and forms part of the historic coastal landscape; given its size and condition, it is best experienced as a scenic and historical landmark rather than a fully open museum interior.