Instincion Travel Guide

Picture: Wikimedia Commons

Instincion has a unique elevation on the banks of the Andarax river. The town was a Muslim farmhouse during the Middle Ages, and was a strategic enclave on the road to Alpujarra. In this Muslim period it was known as Estançihum, and in the 13th-14th centuries, it became one of the ten places that make up the Taha of Marchena.

After the War of the Alpujarras (1568-1570), Instincion was depopulated, to later be repopulated by Christians from Levante, Extremadura, Cadiz and Zamora, with a total of 84 inhabitants. Its population increased during the 17th and 18th centuries, reaching 548 inhabitants in its territory.

Around the year 1835, the manorial system in the Alpujarra ended. Among them was that of Marchena, with which Instincion obtained its legal-administrative independence. A few years later, the cultivation of the shipment of Ohanes grapes began, which promoted economic and demographic development for this town.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a population decline began to be observed due to the closure of the markets. This was the result of European crises, the drought and the Spanish Civil War, which created dire consequences for the economy. At present, agricultural activity is maintained with the introduction of the cultivation of the apirena grape and citrus fruits, in addition to horticulture and fruit trees.

The gastronomy of this town consists of several dishes that are common in the Alpujarra Almeriense, with highlights being the famous cocina mareá, with its white beans and dry broad beans, the onion with pork liver, the tarbinas colorás, the sausages, the choto al ajo cabañil and the Alpujarra fry. Among sweets, the Easter rolls, the egg and almond soplillos and the honey mantecados stand out.