Fossil corals: Elche, El Palmeral

First of all, it was not possible to visit MUPE this time. But...something else, EL Palmeral, which was so close to our hotel, yes!
Elche. The history of Elche, the ancient Ilici, is marked by the passage of different civilisations whose influence were decisive in the evolution and configuration of the palm grove. The first Iberians and Romans settled in La Alcudia of today, where the presence of palm trees was already evident.
The Palmeral of Elche covers over 5.000.000 square metres, of which approximately 2.000.000 sq.metres form the Urban Palmeral, which is in its most part, a World Heritage Site.
On the entire municipality of Elche there are nearly 200,000 examples of palm trees which have been accounted for.

There are different theories about the origins of EL Palmeral.
One of these tell that the abundant palm trees of the beginning of the Tertiary   age which disapeared in the Miocene may have left some residue in the area which proliferated due to the ideal conditions. If this is the case, the palm trees we see today are authentic LIVING FOSSILS .

During the 19 th and 20 th Century the impact of industrial revolution and urban development endangered the survival of the historic Palmeral.
The Elche people raised their voices in defence of the Palmeral.
Since the eighties there has been a solid protection and conservation policy for EL PALMERAL.