Outlying districts of Totana: Mortí and La Huerta

Agriculture has given way to expansive second homes on the lower slopes of Sierra Espuña

These two areas outside the main town of Totana both lie on the lower slopes of the foothills of Sierra Espuña, and although Mortí has a far larger population than La Huerta their main characteristics are fundamentally similar in most other respects. In fact, this difference in population is mainly because the country homes built in La Huerta are used mainly as second residences in the summer, whereas in Mortí the style of construction has been more with a view to favouring year-round occupation.

This popularity among the wealthier classes for summer homes is due to the location on the green slopes above Totana, between the town below and the Santuario de Santa Eulalia and the town of Aledo above. Most of the homes built here have their own plots of land on which the vegetation consists either of fruit trees (particularly oranges and lemons) or more ornamental species such as pines, eucalyptus and bougainvillea, and these orchards are now irrigated with water from the Tajo-Segura water supply canal, one of whose offshoots flanks the hillside.

Some of the grander properties still retain the imposing entrance gates which were erected by proud owners in the early 20^th century, and many of the homes are similarly impressive. As the road leads higher into the mountains, though, these homes disappear and give way to the pine forests through which thousands of Totaneros make their pilgrimages to and from the sanctuary of Santa Eulalia during the Romerías in December and January.

In terms of history there is little to tell in this area: artifacts have been found which show that there was human habitation in the Bronze Age, but this is not uncommon in this part of Murcia, and in the Middle Ages it can be deduced that the prosperity of the area increased significantly when the population of the fortified town of Aledo moved down to Totana following the expulsion of the Moors from Granada in 1492, an event which made living close to the frontier with Andalucía a far more secure and stable option.(see History of Totana)

It was not until the late 19^th century that advances in agricultural technology made it possible to farm more of the land and increase productivity on higher ground, and it was then and in the early 20^th century that the more privileged classes in Totana began to locate their summer residences here. Over the last 20 years various north European expats have chosen to follow in their footsteps, underlining the attractiveness of the location in the shadow of Sierra Espuña, the La Charca urbanisation in particular drawing foreign residents. Properties in this area tend to be spacious and set amid pine trees, with detached houses offering privacy and an attractive setting.