Sierra Nevada from Peñon de la Mata

The Peñón de la Mata has an altitude of 1.668 metros. The views from the top of this peak are some of the most extensive of all the peaks near to Granada. In the photo you can see the most important peaks of the Sierra Nevada,

If you look to your left through the car window,  when you are on the A-92 going towards Guadix, you will be able to see the Peñón De La Mata, it is also easily visible from the large commercial park in the north of Granada where you can find Media Markt and Decathlon.  The peak is quite impressive and it reminds me of the Matterhorn although of course it is much smaller.   

There was a large battle between  the two sides in the Spanish Civil War on this mountain, more than 20,000 soldiers died in the taking of the Peñón de la Mata. In terms of suffering this was one of the most bloodiest battles of the civil war.  To this day there are many reminders of the civil war, there are trenches and machine gun posts.  There were so many dead bodies that it was not possible to bring the down the corpses and most of the dead were buried in mass graves.

If you consider the massive loss of life for a military objective  which had in effect no real tactical significance this could be described as the "Hamburger Hill" of the Spanish civil war. 

Many walking guides put the difficulty of climbing the Peñón De La Mata as a little more difficult than moderate.  If you don't choose the right path there are areas with lots of small stones which act like ball bearings.  The amazing view from the top will make the climb worth it. The top of the mountain is a good place to have your sandwiches.

Note that the word "mata" is not connected to the Spanish word "matar". It refers to the vegetation on  the peak. 

The following is the translation from the dictionary. 

1.  Plant that lives several years and has a low, branched and woody stem. 2. Plant of little height or size. Bush of tomato, carnations. 3. Twig or foot of an herb, such as mint or basil. 4. Portion of land populated with trees of the same species. 

However if I had to translate it to English maybe I would call it  Crag of the thickets or Bushy Rock. 



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