The Research Project at the Castillo de la Estrella (Teba, Málaga, Spain) has been carried out since 2021 with the main objective of understanding the genesis, evolution and abandonment of this enclave on the border between the kingdoms of Granada and Castilla.
It is a castle located in the Surco Intrabético, between the depressions of Antequera and Ronda, a key point in the passage between the aforementioned kingdoms, which gained great importance between the 13th and 16th centuries. At this moment it occupied a considerable place in the border of the Granada emirate, until its conquest in 1330 by Alfonso XI, when it fell into Christian hands definitively.
Work carried out since 2021 has identified some transformations of this old border town into a stately space in modern times. Examples of this have been the discovery of a large monumental entrance to the Alcázar, a space for county representation, or the extensions and embellishments of the old church of the Santa Cruz, the first Christian church erected in this town, when it was still located within the castle walls.
Another important finding, of which there was no previous evidence, is a building under the remains of the church, which due to its nature, orientation, and chronology, could be a building related to a mosque, which was later integrated into the church.
The 2023 season focused on the residential space (a group of houses from medieval and modern times) inside the town.
