Guadalquivir river and its rich and fertile basin are the reason why this land attracted different civilizations, which were drawn here due to its innumerable resources. These people were, as well, looking for the possibility of using the course of the river as a mean of transport and communication.

We can visit the cave of Cañaveralejo in Adamuz. This cave belongs to the Neolithic period. A worthy sample of the splendor of the Roman civilization is the Roman bridge of Villa del Río. The presence of tanks and palatial fortifications like la Alcazaba (citadel) de Bujalance, that belongs to the Muslim period.

Christian reconquest laid the politic, economic and cultural foundations of our towns and villages nowadays. Towers like Garci Menéndez in El Carpio, y la Torre del Homenaje (Homage tower) in Cañete de las Torres Castle, both in excellent state of conservation.

Skipping to the XX century, the bridges of Villafranca de Córdoba and Villa del Río are built to expand the communication networks among la sierra (mountain range), la vega (fertile lowland) and la campiña (countryside).

Holy Week is celebrated all over the zone, having a special prominence the festivities in Montoro.

This region has been the birthplace of remarkable artists at national scope, standing out painters like Blas Moyano,Pedro Bueno,Ginés Liébana, Antonio Rodríguez Luna or Rodrigo Prieto Rojas. We can admire their work among the various museums in Upper Guadalquivir.

Artistic manifestations are present nowadays in the streets of our villages. The region boasts talented writers as Isabel Agüera Espejo-Saavedra, teacher and writer (Villa del Río, Córdoba) or Rafaela Sánchez Cano (1947) from Montoro. Contemporary art also has its place in the scheduled cultural activities of the region, with the seminar on artistic intervention in the urban and natural settings (Scarpia) in El Carpio, celebration of urban culture festivals (VDR JAM), in Villa del Río, or music festivals such as Cañeteando, in Cañete de Las Torres.

We find in flamenco the perfect combination between “arte y compás” (talent and rhythm). There is a long list of cantaores (flamenco singers) in our region, like Antonio Haya “El Jaro”, Juan Antonio Camino, Cantizano o Manuel Gavilán “Gavilán Hijo”, among many others. Flamenco culture, so deeply rooted in this land can be enjoyed at the typical peñas flamencas (enthusiast´s clubs) of the region, accompanied by singing, wine and rhythm.

Nowadays the region is structured around groups and organizations that convey cohesion and dynamism. Special mention should be made of the Federation of Villafranca Women´s Associations, as well as of various groups and social organizations of all sort.