Castillo de Castro Ferral stands on a hilltop within Despeñaperros Natural Park in Santa Elena, dominating the Puerto del Muradal and La Losa passes between Andalusia and La Mancha. Built by the Almohads and strategically placed in Sierra Morena, this fortress played a crucial role in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, being occupied by Christian troops just three days before this pivotal Reconquista battle. Though reduced to ruins and damaged during 1990s conservation work, the castle remains declared a Cultural Heritage Site and is accessible via a forest track from the hamlet of Miranda del Rey.
