Population: 2062

Altitude (m): 645

A little village located in the west of the Sierra Mágica district, just a few kilometres from the provincial capital. The actual village, set atop the eastern edge of the Cerro de San Cristóbal hill, overlooking the Guadalbullón river, even today still has that special country charm with its white houses and its steep and quaint narrow streets. The main economic activity of La Guardia de Jaén is focused on olive growing and employment generated by the services sector in nearby Jaén or in the village's residencial areas (around the Guadalbullón and Tentesón rivers). The most interesting natural spaces in La Guardia are the Cerro de San Cristóbal hill, with its summit replanted with pine trees, and the plain next to the Guadalbullón river, which has preserved its abundant riverbank vegetation. The castle, of Moorish origin and which was converted into a palace-citadell by the Messia family in the 14th and 15th centuries, along with the parish church of the Asunción, are the main architectural jewels of the village.