The Sierra de Cadiz lies in the north west of the province of the same name, with the Sierra Sur mountains of Seville to the north, the Malaga Mountains to the east and the rural area of the town of Jerez de la Frontera to the west. The area is home to a total of 19 municipalities: El Bosque, Prado del Rey, Algar, Ubrique, Grazalema, Benaocaz, Villaluenga del Rosario, Arcos de la Frontera, Espera, Bornos, Villamartin, Puerto Serrano, Algodonales, Zahara de la Sierra, El Gastor, Olvera, Torre-Alhaquime, Setenil de las Bodegas and Alcala del Valle.

As a result of the goat and sheep farming carried out here, the Sierra de Cadiz boasts a proud cheesemaking tradition, with a long list of artisans having devoted themselves the production of handmade cheeses over the years. Nowadays, the arrival of modern technology and, in particular, the introduction of new legislation has seen a decrease in production, though not in quality, for those still involved in the practice have proved themselves more than capable of adapting to both the times and the regulations, in particular those of a sanitary nature. Furthermore, this particular area is home to a number of local varieties of cheese that are completely different from those produced elsewhere.
This area can be divided into two adjacent yet hugely contrasting mountain ranges, namely the Serrania de Grazalema and the Sierras Subbeticas. The former, with its steep, craggy slopes, is the western outpost of the Sierra de Ronda, while the latter, of much gentler relief, merges with the mountains of Seville and Cordoba, gradually giving way to the Cadiz countryside as it follows the course of the River Guadalete.

The area’s exceptional botanical riches and fauna value have led to two Natural Parks being established here, namely Sierra de Grazalema and Los Alcornocales. The former, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977, was also the first natural park created by the Andalusian Regional Government after it took responsibility for such affairs. This park is home to one of the few locations on the Iberian Peninsula in which the Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo), a conifer that is a veritable botanical relic of the Ice Age, still thrives.
The Sierra de Cadiz also boasts a wide variety of endemic fauna and flora. In addition to the aforementioned Spanish fir, holm and gall oak forests and cork oak groves are to be found, along with the brushwood that characterises the Andalusian undergrowth and typical riverside flora such as willows, ashes and elms.
The economy of the Sierra is heavily based on agriculture, which, along with cattle farming, is the driving force behind the economy of the area as a whole. However, there are a few locations that provide exceptions to the rule by exhibiting a certain degree of industrial activity. Two cases in point are Ubrique and Prado del Rey, where the production of leather goods and clothes are important factors in the local economy and provide employment for a significant number of workers. In the rest of the Sierra, however, the primary sector takes precedence.

Also worthy of note are a series of archaeological sites ranging from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. The archaeological trail comprises the sites of Sierra de Aznar in Arcos de la Frontera, Carissa Aurelia in Espera, Ocurri in Ubrique, the Alberite Dolmen in Villamartin, and the mediaeval village of Zahara de la Sierra. All of these are of immense historical and cultural interest.
Each of the aforementioned locations is also home to remains from other periods which bear witness to the complex historical process that has taken place in the area over the centuries, with most sites still awaiting scientific investigation. Other places of archaeological interest include Iptuci in Prado del Rey, Aznalmara Castle in Benaocaz, the dolmens of El Castor and Alcala del Valle and the Nazari settlement at Manga de Villaluenga.

Asociacion de Fomento Nuevas Estrategias de Caracter Socio-Economico sostenible e integradas de la Sierra de Cadiz (Association for the Promotion of New Sustainable and Integrated Socio-Economic Strategies in the Sierra de Cadiz)

Address: Castillo Palacio Los Ribera. Plaza Alcalde Jose Gonzalez s/n. 11640
Location: Bornos
Telephone number: 956 72 90 00
E-Mail: sierra.cadiz@cdrtcampos.es
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