María towns in almeria Andalucia, Spain. Descriptions and photographs. Almeria

María

Distance to the capital (Km): 185
Local Inhabitants: Marienses
Number of Inhabitants: 1658
Postal Code: 04838

North of Vélez Blanco on the C321 lies the small town of María.
Nestled amongst the pinewoods of the Sierra de María, recently declared a National park, at 1,196 metres above sea level; María is the highest settlement in Almería.
With light fresh air, María is an ideal base to do some serious walking
from. Although there are some well established walking paths,
with campsites and picnic areas along side, there is so much to see off
the beaten track and it is well worth taking a proper map to explore
these lesser-known areas.
María has several notable buildings including the parish church of
Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación (1549–1556) situated in the central
plaza of the town. It is decorated in the Mudéjar woodwork
style. Also the Mesón or Casa del Marqués dating from the same
century is also in the plaza. Nearby there is a relatively new
Convent, built in 1905 which houses two orders, the daughters of St
Vincent de Paul and the Daughters of Mercy.

Places of Interest
Parish Church Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, 16th century
Casa del Marqués, 18th century
Botanical garden
Museum of Cereals and Almonds
Hermitage de la Virgen de la Cabeza, 17th – 19th century

Festivals
San Antón, 17th January
Virgen de la Cabeza, last Sunday of April
Santa Quiteria, 22nd May
Summer Festival, August

Town Hall
Tel 950 417 200