watchtowers in Rincon de la Victoria

The origin of the watchtowers dates from the "andalusi" period under the government of Yusuf I (XIVth century), which was a major sponsor of the coastal fortifications. The first written notes about the watchtowers date back to 1492, the year in which Juan Alonso Serrano wrote to the Catholic kings and requested the reconstruction of the watchtowers. Later in the XVIII. Century, they were rebuilt and operated as a military defense system headed by Capitan General in Granada. The function of these watchtowers was to keep a constant watch on the sea and to warn the fortresses of pirate robberies, by means of smoke signals during the day and by campfires at night. If the distance allowed, the alarm was secretly sent to surprise the enemy during landing. The watchtower El Cantal stands on a steep coast, about 30m above sea level and has a conical trunk shape with a maximum diameter of 7.15m and a minimum of 6.25m and its height is 10.65m. The watchtower of Torre de Benagalbon stands on a hill and also has a conical trunk shape with a diameter of 7m below and 6m above and a height of 10.50m. Functionally, these buildings have 2 characteristics, one of them is the terrace floor and the other is the inner chamber, with a spiral staircase inside the tower.