La Luz Castle

La Luz Castle, locally known as Castillo de la Luz or Castillo de Santa Catalina del Monte, lies south of the town of La Alberca, in the province of Murcia in Spain.

Based on its construction technique; walls built out of rammed earth called tapia, La Luz Castle is in origin a Moorish castle. So that places its construction date somewhere between the 9th century, when the Moors founded Murcia, and the 13th century, when Murcia was incorporated in the Kingdom of Castile.

Nothing is known about its history. It was probably one of several castles that formed a defensive ring around the city of Murcia. It guarded a route through the Cordillera Sur mountain range, between the coastal plain and the town of Murcia.

The castle consists of an upper and a small lower enclosure. The upper enclosure is situated on a hillock. During excavations no other remains than a cistern and a well were found. In the lower enclosure a smaller cistern was found. Landslides caused the walls to break. They were restored with a lighter color mortar.

At present the remains of La Luz Castle are freely accessible. Not a very interesting ruin as it lacks architectural detail. But its situation in a Regional Park Cresta del Gallo is beautiful.

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