The failed project to bring an abandoned cortijo in Malaga's Sierra Almijara back to life

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An investigation by Granada-based historian and researcher Mariló V. Oyonarte has revealed plans of a frustrated attempt to recover the Cortijo del Daire in the 1990s by a British-Iranian business

Eugenio Cabezas

Monday, 16 March 2026, 13:29 | Updated 13:44h.

Deep in Malaga province's Sierra Almijara mountains is a place where the wind blows strongly and the old muleteers' paths still leave scars on the stone: the ruins of Cortijo del Daire. Located in Cómpeta, for generations it was one of the most remote inhabited enclaves between the mountain ranges that separate the Axarquia in Malaga and Alhama in Granada province.

Today there are only crumbling walls and memories, but its history, reconstructed from research and stories past on through word of mouth through the generations speal of mountain families, forgotten trade routes and an ambitious failed project in the 1990s that aimed to breathe new life back to this enclave.

Cortijo del Daire was built next to one of the old mountain roads that connected Nerja and Frigiliana with Granada province via Cómpeta. For decades it was a regular stop for muleteers and travellers who crossed the Almijara mountains to trade goods.

FAQs about the Cortijo del Daire in Spain

Where is Cortijo del Daire located?

• Cortijo Daire is situated in the Sierra de Almijara, within the Axarquía region of Malaga, Spain. It sits at the foot of the El Lucero peak and was historically a vital stop for traders and "maquis" (guerrilla fighters) crossing the mountains between Granada and Malaga.

What is the history of the Cortijo del Daire ruins?

• Originally a prosperous farmhouse known for its high-altitude agriculture, Cortijo Daire became a strategic site during the Spanish Civil War and the post-war period. It is famous for its association with the "maquis" resistance and was eventually abandoned as traditional mountain life declined in the mid-20th century.

How difficult is the hike to Cortijo Daire?

• The hike is generally considered moderate to difficult due to the steep terrain of the Sierra de Almijara. It is most commonly accessed via trails from the village of Canillas de Aceituno or Sedella. Hikers should be prepared for significant elevation changes and limited shade.

According to the research published by historian and chronicler Mariló V. Oyonarte in the portal Alhama Comunicación, the toponym 'Daire' has various interpretations. One of the theories suggests that it could be a deformation of 'Cortijo del Aire', due to the constant exposure to the wind in that area of the sierra.

Another hypothesis links it to a possible foreign surname. However, Frigiliana historian Pablo Rojo has suggested a third possibility: that the term comes from a medieval word related to small monasteries or religious communities that may have settled in caves in the area before the Christian conquest.

The isolation did not prevent the cortijo from also being marked by episodes of the Spanish post-war period.

Beyond the origin of the name, what is documented, according to Oyonarte, is that the farmstead was inhabited for generations by several mountain families dedicated to livestock farming, the cultivation of small plots of land and muleteering. The inhabitants of the place were known throughout the region as 'the people of the Daire', a name that reflects the social importance that this enclave came to have in the life of the mountains.

The isolation did not prevent the farmhouse from also being marked by episodes of the Spanish post-war period. According to Oyonarte's research, the Guardia Civil searched the area for an alleged clandestine radio station during the repression of the anti-Francoist guerrillas. After the search, one of the residents, known as José del Daire, was arrested and subjected to harsh interrogations, in a context in which the Almijara mountains served as a refuge or passage for guerrillas.

Why were so many Spanish farmhouses in the Axarquia abandoned in the 20th century?

As happened with dozens of mountain cortijos in the Axarquía, abandonment came in the second half of the 20th century. Emigration to the coast, the decline of traditional livestock farming and the harshness of life in the mountains led to it being completely uninhabited and eventually reduced to ruins.

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