Farmhouse and Tower of Troya

In the 14th century life must not have been easy in the geographical area now occupied by towns such as Utrera and El Palmar de Troya. Clashes between Muslim and Christian armies were more than frequent in these frontier lands, so a sophisticated surveillance system was set up so that in the event that the enemy decided to counterattack, the Christians would have sufficient room for manoeuvre to be able to deal with these threats. It was at this time, mainly during the reign of Alfonso XI, that a group of towers was born, which would end up being called the Moorish band. We are situated in a terrain that is far from being mountainous, but which does have a series of elevations and small hills that became perfect places to build these defence towers, which had to have visual communication between them, in order to know that an enemy army was on the move. In some cases this visual communication was possible thanks to the use of a complex system of mirrors and torches. These small fortifications are currently considered to be Sites of Cultural Interest (BIC), some of them are in clear danger of disappearing, as is the case of the Torre del Águila or the Torre de Lopera, others have disappeared for good, as is the case of the Torre de la Ventosilla, while other towers, such as the Torre de Troya, are still standing, in a good state of conservation and are responsible for both the name and the emergence of the youngest village in the province, El Palmar de Troya.