El Guijo remains faithful to urban and rural landscapes of Los Pedroches, with an alliance of granite and ilexes. Humble in view of its toponym [guijo: an eroded pebble] and isolated location in the north, El Guijo remains faithful to urban and rural landscapes of Los Pedroches, with an alliance of granite and ilexes. The hamlet has maintained its highly prized and highly agreeable solitude, whilst to the north it safeguards a surprising devotional and landscape feature in the form of the Sanctuary of the Virgen de las Cruces, with roots dating back three thousand years.
- The hamlet is located in the central area of Los Pedroches, 15 km to the north of Pozoblanco.
- Distance from Córdoba: 100 km.
- Altitude: 567 m.
- Surface area: 66.7 km2.
- Population: 404.
- Term used to designate inhabitants: Guijeños.
- Region: Los Pedroches.
The historian R. Córdoba suggests that El Guijo arose some time during the 13th century as a result of the depopulation of the neighbouring hamlet of Santa María, which may have been located on the hill known as Majadaiglesia, next to the present-day Chapel of the Virgen de las Cruces. In 1293, the hamlet became part of the estate of Santa Eufemia, and remained under this jurisdiction over subsequent centuries.
