For many years, Baños de la Encina Castle was thought to have been built by the caliphate, owing to confusion arising from a foundation stone wrongly associated with the castle. In fact, the stone formed part of the walls of Talavera de la Reina, and the only epigraphs to have been found at the site are of a funerary nature. The castle stands on the summit of Cerro del Cueto, while the town of Baños de la Encina extends across the north and east slopes of the hill along the banks of the River Rumblar, one of the largest and fastest-flowing tributaries of the Guadalquivir.
Baños de la Encina Castle is an enormous defensive complex, with walls crowned by 15 square-shaped towers of tabiyya (rammed earth and mortar), clad in lime decorated to resemble stonework. The north tower is of particular note owing to its size. The site is perfectly adapted to the terrain and consists of a walled, oval-shaped stronghold occupying a strategic position overlooking the Sierra Morena mountains to the north and the entirety of Jaén’s Campiña region to the south.
Inside the castle are various rooms, mostly square in shape and located on both sides of the site. In the centre, at the highest point of the summit, there is a rectangular cistern bisected by a dividing wall and covered by barrel-vaulted ceilings.
The site would have been accessed via a narrow, winding passageway between the walls and the various rooms. This passageway led to the southern part of the site and also provided access to the cistern. Similarly, in the northern part of the site, the castle’s rooms would have opened off a paved passageway that led to the northernmost tower. These two passageways, running from south to north, divided and organised the northern half of the castle into three elongated spaces while also providing access to the towers, which contain small rooms on each floor. With the construction of the inner fortress, and following alterations carried out by the Christian armies, these passageways were shut off; however, some traces of them remain.
On the west side of the castle wall, opposite the main entrance, there was a pontanilla: a gateway flanked by two walls (which were subsequently altered). This gateway led onto a narrow, winding passageway, adopting the same defensive approach as the main entrance.
After it was conquered by Ferdinand III of Castile in 1225, the castle and its defence system underwent major internal reorganisation.
An inner fortress was added at the north end of the site, consisting of a circular tower and two walls of rough stone blocks abutting the walls erected by the Muslims. This created a diamond-shaped space that served as the last defensive redoubt and protected the keep, which replaced the original Muslim tower. Larger in size and constructed from masonry, the keep was accessed via the parapets at the sides. Within the outer structure, evidence has been uncovered of other areas dating back to the Castilian conquest, such as a storage room and cellar in the east corner and structures that may have been used as bread ovens and wine presses.
Until 1928, the castle was used as a cemetery, which had a significant impact on the archaeological remains. The impressions left by burial niches can still be seen on some sections of the west wall.
Its abundant mineral resources and strategic location have drawn settlers to Cerro del Cueto since prehistoric times. The first major documented occupation dates back to the rise of copper mining (and subsequently bronze working) in the 2nd millennium BC, coetaneous with the settlement at Peñalosa. The two settlements have similar characteristics and should be considered part of the same political, economic and social structure.
The Ibero-Roman occupation appears to have been concentrated at the summit of the hill, where various periods of almost uninterrupted occupation have been documented, stretching from the height of the Iberian era through to the late Roman period.
Following the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, a settlement was established on the slopes surrounding the defensive site. The summit would have housed a military bastion, which would have made use of the pre-existing walls.
It was commonly thought that Baños de la Encina Castle was built during the reign of Al-Hakam II during the second half of the 10th century, owing to the erroneous attribution of a foundation stone now held at the National Archaeological Museum. However, the latest research has shown that the castle was built prior to the conflicts culminating in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212), in order to serve as a defensive bastion (along with the castles at Castro Ferral, Las Navas de Tolosa and Vilches) and counter the advance of the Christian troops led by their respective monarchs, including Alfonso VII and Alfonso VIII.
After the castle was conquered by Ferdinand III in 1225 it became part of a large estate under the jurisdiction of the city of Baeza, and was subject to major internal alterations focusing chiefly on the northernmost end of the site.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the growing economic and social power of the local populace was reflected in the construction of large stately homes by families of a certain standing, particularly those from Baeza and Linares, who built their palatial residences on both sides of the town’s main thoroughfare. The town may have been encircled by a wall, albeit for tax purposes rather than defensive ones, as evidenced by the remains that can still be seen within the conurbation. In 1626, during the reign of Philip IV, Baños gained control over its own affairs and was liberated from the jurisdiction of the Council of Baeza.
The castle seemingly retained its military function until the 17th century, after which it suffered a period of deterioration and abandonment that in all likelihood lasted until the 19th century, when the bailey began to be used as a municipal cemetery (a function that lasted well into the 20th century).
