Bérchules

The river Grande de Los Bérchules flows past the village on its course from the Sierra Nevada to the Mediterranean at Motril. En route it becomes renamed Rio "Gualdalfeo" and is the main river in the Alpujarra. Like the surrounding area, in general the present population has declined since the mid 20th century when the population was probably nearer to 5,000 inhabitants. Many immigrated to Germany, Switzerland, France, Brazil, Argentina, and to the coastal area of Almería, El Ejido etc.

The traditional agricultural was based on tomatoes, almonds and cattle and continues as the main industry of the village with tourism having an increasing economic importance. Since 2000 an influx of relatively affluent immigrants from northern Europe have also had an effect on the local economy.

Most tourists visit for the hill walking as the village is situated on the GR7 Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine long distance footpath. Local attractions include the "fuente agua agria" water with a high iron content which is purported to have medicinal properties. Notable fiestas include New Year's Eve in August (First Saturday of August), the Festival of San Marcos, with processions of agricultural animals (25 April) and Festival of San Pantaleon, patron saint of Bérchules (27 July), and the Festival of Santo Cristo in Alcútar (9 August).