The Casa de las Camachas is stunning even in daylight, so imagine what it must look like in the dark of night. Miguel de Cervantes himself included the story of Leonor Rodríguez, La Camacha, in his work El Coloquio de los Perros (The Dialogue of the Dogs"). In the 16th century, the Inquisition prosecuted this woman for witchcraft, something she never hid and for which she was whipped, tortured on the rack, and her property confiscated, as well as being expelled from town.
Located in the historical town centre of Montilla, the Casa de las Camachas was built in the 16th century and, although it is privately owned and is somewhat dilapidated, it has an unquestionable historical and ethnographic value. The property consists of a number of rooms distributed around a bright, corral-type patio. And as well as all this, you should not forget that Montilla is a land of wines, history and art.
Its name derives from the popular name for a nearby inn, now disappeared, the property of Leonor's grandfather, known under the soubriquet of El Camacho. The house is located in the Calle Tarasquilla and now goes under the name of Padre Miguel Molina. Often to be seen here were Catalina Rodríguez, sister of the above; María Sánchez, called La Coja (the Cripple); Mayor Díaz, Isabel Martín Sánchez; and Isabel Hernández, La Lozana (the glowing one), all of them members of the Camacho family and witches according to legend. Miguel de Cervantes mentioned one of them, Leonor, in one of his "Exemplary" novels, "El coloquio de los perros" (The Dialogue of the Dogs). This sorceress knew up to 35 spells and, by saying a prayer to Santa Marta, made women sterile and frigid and men impotent.
"You should know, my son, that the most famous sorceress in the world lived here. She was called Camacha de Montilla; She was so unique in her trade that she could never be equalled by the Eritos, the Circes, the Medeas, of whom I have heard so many stories. She froze the clouds whenever she wanted and covered the face of the sun with them. When she felt like it, she made the most troubled sky serene; she brought men from distant lands in an instant, and magically restored the purity of maidens who had neglected to keep their integrity. By December he shad fresh roses in her garden and by January she was harvesting wheat", says Berganza, one of the protagonists of an "exemplary" novel.
On 8 December 1572, La Camacha was accused of witchcraft by the Tribunal of the inquisition. What was her punishment? She was to recant and was condemned to a hundred lashes in Córdoba and again in Montilla. She was also banished for ten years from her hometown, and was prohibited from approaching within five leagues.
