Cueva Museo La Inmaculada

Useful Information

Location:	C/Carretera de Granada. Nº 80, C.P.: 18.519 Purullena. A92 exit 288 Purullena, on the main road. (37.3166539, -3.1855461)
Open:	Summer Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat 8:30-20, Wed, Sun 8:30-12. Winter Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat 8:30-18, Wed, Sun 8:30-12. Spring and Autumn Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat 8:30-19, Wed, Sun 8:30-12. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 5. [2026]
Classification:	Cave House Guadix Cave Houses
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cueva Museo La Inmaculada, C/Carretera de Granada. Nº 80, C.P.: 18.519 Purullena, Tel: +34-958-690-181, Cell: +34-64-65-56-247. E-mail:
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History

1999	cave museum opened to the public.

Description

Cueva Museo La Inmaculada is located in the village Purullena, which is known in the Province of Granada as the Troglodyte City since the 1960s. At that time, according to local lore, the on above ground building was the church. Today still more than 400 families live underground, so it is still the village with the highest concentration of cave houses in the Guadix region. As a result the museum has the separate exhibitions Cueva Actual (Current Cave), Cueva Antigua (Ancient Cave), and the Museo Etnológico (Ethnological Museum).

The Cueva Actual shows a cave with more or less modern equipment, there is a gas cooker, a wood-burning stove for heating, modern kitchen and furniture. As the cave maintains a temperature of 18 °C all year there is not much heating needed. The living in such a cave house is not different from living in a normal house. The next section is a cave under construction, demonstrating how a cave is excavated. The geology and the technical basics of the cave houses is explained.

The Cueva Antigua is 300 years old and shows how the people lived in such a traditional cave in the early 20th century. Original furniture and objects from that era give an impression of the time, but actually they do not differ much from above ground houses. This cave is higher up the hill, and there is an underground staircase, people with mobility probles may use the ramps outside. This cave has a patio which offers a great view of the village, the Alhama-Fardes Valley, and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The Museo Etnológico is located in a fourth cave and shows antique utensils, tools, furniture, household items, curious objects, and photographs. The age ranges from the 19th century to the mid 20th century.

This is a museum but there are guided tours offered in Spanish and English. Additionally, there are written texts in German, French, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and Italian.