The cave-house in Andalousia: from infra-housing to future residence

Abstract

Cave dwelling in Andalusia has had an enormous historic relevance and still holds a large significance today. Current troglodytic practice started with the Modern Age and developed primarily during the 19th Century until the first half of 20th. After that time its decline started, since caves were considered lesser lodging in many occasions. However, the link between caves and lesser lodging is not always correct, especially in those Andalusian zones where dwelling in caves was part of the culture. Often what has happened is simply a delay in the renovation of the caves. That is the case primarily in the province of Granada, where the process of rehabilitation and modernization is been particularly intense for the last decade. In that respect, to the traditional use for permanent residence we have to add the use of caves for seasonal dwelling as well as for tourism.