Castillo de Vallehermoso, also known as Castillo de Ayamonte or Castillo de Carastas, perches on a dramatic crest of porous tuff limestone approximately five kilometers from the urban center of Olvera in Cádiz province. Constructed as a border fortress of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the castle was captured by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1327 and finally conquered by Christian troops under Pedro de Astúñiga on October 5, 1407. The fortress features a characteristic curved ramp approach leading to an alfiz-framed door, with the Torre del Homenaje serving as primary defense and a subterranean cistern providing essential water supplies. Though declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1985, the castle now appears on the Hispania Nostra Red List, marking it as endangered heritage requiring urgent preservation efforts to prevent further deterioration of this significant Nasrid fortress.
