The buildings linked to olive oil production are much more than just reminders of a glorious past.
The architecture of the olive groves—cortijos, farmhouses, estates, and olive mills—with their inseparable industrial component tied to olive cultivation and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) production, forms an essential part of Andalusian culture and heritage. This is especially true in the province of Jaén, the world's leading olive oil producer.
The Cortijo
The cortijo is a typical building in rural Andalusia that combines living quarters with spaces dedicated to agricultural work on the estate. Its original model derives from the haciendas or farmhouses of the Guadalquivir Valley since the 16th century and has endured, with some modifications, to the present day.
These buildings, which vary in size and number of rooms depending on the type of farm, are isolated in rural areas, away from urban centers. Their preserved structures reflect the socio-economic characteristics developed from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
The word “cortijo” may come from the Latin “cohors” meaning cohort, or “cohorticulum,” meaning courtyard or pen. The Royal Spanish Academy cites “corte” (court) as the etymology. From “cortijo” comes “cortijada,” a small group of rural houses surrounded by farmland.
Thus, the cortijo was a building designed to meet the needs of large agricultural estates, often supplemented with livestock for labor and consumption, which also fertilized the soil.
The cortijo typically provided housing for workers, shelter for livestock, and storage for agricultural tools and products, usually organized around one or more courtyards. Alquerías, the agricultural complexes of Muslim Spain, are considered precursors of the cortijo.
The heart of daily life in a cortijo centered on the kitchen, especially for the work and rest of laborers, while skilled workers had private rooms and overseers or estate managers had their own quarters. The owners had independent yet connected spaces. Around the main courtyard were pens for livestock, chicken coops, stables, pigsties or rabbit hutches, granaries, and storage buildings. Wells, fountains, and troughs were also found, often shaded by grapevines. Olive mills or almazaras, threshing floors, gardens, bull pens (if a bull farm), chapels, and bread ovens completed the estate.
The Olive Farmhouse (Casería de Olivar)
Within the cortijo system are the caserías de olivar, usually two-story buildings with gabled roofs made of rammed earth, brick, or stone masonry, often whitewashed. They include rooms for workers and managers, with the owners’ quarters generally on the upper floor. Caserías are common in the provinces of Sevilla, Córdoba, and Badajoz, and less so in Granada, Málaga, and Cádiz, though Jaén houses some of the most notable examples, more frequent in fertile valleys than in mountainous areas.
While cortijos aimed for self-sufficiency with livestock and other crops, caserías focused primarily on olive harvesting and olive oil production. During harvest season, activity reached its peak, whether the casería had its own mill or transported olives to other mills. Owners typically resided there only during harvest to supervise the process.
According to Javier Cano Expósito in Diario Jaén, “These constructions, originally purely agricultural and later adapted for vacation or residential use, date back to the 17th century at least. Some likely descend from Arab-era buildings, and by the 19th century they became fashionable among the wealthy. From the most aristocratic nobility to the bourgeoisie, owning one of these typical rural houses became a symbol of economic power and social prestige.”
Cortijos and Caserías Today
Although some cortijos and caserías maintain their original structures, their use has changed significantly since the 1960s, due to rural depopulation and major changes in olive oil production with the rise of cooperatives and large industrial mills. Many of these buildings were abandoned or converted into holiday homes.
Fortunately, with the rise of Rural Tourism, especially Olive Oil Tourism (Oleotourism), many have been revitalized as seasonal accommodations, restaurants, and tasting venues. Visitors can enjoy traditional Andalusian cuisine, participate in tastings of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and see firsthand the cultivation, harvesting, and production processes.
These venues offer faithful recreations of traditional production methods, while also showing the modern and innovative facilities used today to produce high-quality EVOO. Oleotourism is an excellent way to showcase the benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the care required in production to ensure premium quality. Educational and fun activities also teach young generations about olive oil production and its role in a healthy diet.
The UNESCO World Heritage nomination for the Olive Grove Landscapes, including its buildings, is an important initiative to increase international visibility of the sector, its products, and the preservation of traditional olive architecture.
