Morisco wrestling, horses and stone lifting: Purchena opens the 23rd Juegos Moriscos de Abén Humeya today
Purchena holds the 23rd Juegos Moriscos de Abén Humeya (Abén Humeya Morisco Games) from 30 July to 1 August: three days of history, sport and tradition, with free entry.
Automatic translation: this article was translated with artificial intelligence from the original in Spanish. Read the original
Purchena returns to the 16th century. This Thursday, 30 July, the town opens the 23rd edition of the Juegos Moriscos de Abén Humeya (Abén Humeya Morisco Games), which will run until Saturday 1 August. Over three days, residents and visitors will relive the competitions that Abén Humeya convened in Purchena in 1569, with traditional sporting events, historical re-enactments, parades, music, dance and a craft and food souk in the old town.
Thursday 30: a first night on horseback
The opening day is packed with events:
- 19:00: Juegos Moriscos Infantiles (children’s Morisco Games), with sprinting, long jump, stone throwing and archery.
- 20:00: opening of the Zoco Artesanal, Gastronómico y Deportivo (craft, food and sports souk).
- 21:00: departure of Abén Humeya’s retinue.
The raising of the flags and the official opening, scheduled for 21:45, will be followed by the first historical re-enactment, the Carrera de Caballos y Cintas a la Morisca (Morisco-style horse and ribbon race) and the Trofeo José Luis Martínez shot put event. A concert by Kabayla Zingary will round off the night.
Friday and Saturday: Morisco wrestling and stone lifting
- Friday 31: archery, stone throwing and sling shooting, Morisco wrestling heats and finals, and open-category triple jump and sprint competitions.
- Saturday 1 August: a chess tournament, the Media Legua Gruesa, living chess and two of the most emblematic events, brick holding and stone lifting, before the final re-enactment and the singing and dance contests.
From Purchena to Granada
The programme was unveiled on 19 July at the Corral del Carbón in Granada, where some 200 people from Purchena, no less, had travelled. The mayor of Purchena, José Luis Serrano, described the Games as “the event that best represents Purchena”, and the provincial councillor for tourism, María José Herrada, as “living history”. Also taking part in the presentation were the territorial delegate for social inclusion of the Andalusian regional government (Junta de Andalucía), Francisco González Bellido, and the director general of the Alhambra and Generalife Board of Trustees (Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife), Rodrigo Ruiz-Jiménez Carrera.
Entry to the activities is free, according to the Turismo Almanzora events calendar. With more than 450 years of history behind them, the Games once again make Purchena a meeting point for the Almanzora at the start of August.
From elValle Actualidad, we encourage you to set aside these three days: in Purchena, history is not read, it is lived.
