Description
The tower, as it survives today, is built of regular masonry, with ashlar stretcher-and-header corner stones, and has had homes attached to it in modern times. It must have been the keep of a small but strong castle that carried out relatively important military functions throughout the 13th and 14th centuries: it acted as a stronghold of Calatrava power in the Martos countryside and played a leading role in bloody battles, such as the one popular tradition attributes to the conflict between the King of Castile and the King of Granada in 1431. It originally had two floors, of which only the lower one survives, with a narrow entrance featuring a semicircular arch made up of large voussoirs, which contrast with the reduced size of the opening itself, kept small for security reasons. This doorway, a window, and the remains of another arch are the few significant elements that can still be seen today. It was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1985.
