Walking through El Realejo Granada feels like peeling back layers of history with every step. This neighborhood sits where Granada's Jewish quarter once thrived, back when the Arabs called it Garnata al-Yahud - Granada of the Jews. The name Realejo only came later, after 1492, when the Catholic Monarchs expelled the Sephardic population and the area needed reinventing.

The heart of everything here is Campo del Príncipe, a lively square that was built over an old Muslim cemetery. The plaza got its current name in 1497 to celebrate Prince Juan's wedding - quite the royal party venue. But what really draws people is the Cristo de los Favores statue right in the center. This jasper and alabaster figure has quite a story. During the bubonic plague that devastated Granada between 1679 and 1682, El Realejo was the least affected neighborhood. Locals credited their prayers to this Christ statue, and the devotion stuck. Even now, every Good Friday at 3 PM, crowds gather to make three wishes.

What strikes me most about El Realejo is how different eras bump into each other. You'll find the statue of Yehuda Ibn Tibon, a medieval Jewish scholar, just meters from Plaza de Isabel La Católica. The steep, stepped streets in the upper part still follow the old Jewish quarter layout, though most synagogues disappeared long ago, replaced by Christian churches and noble palaces.

The Church of Santo Domingo catches your eye immediately - this is where the Spanish Inquisition held its hearings. Not exactly cheerful history, but it's part of what shaped this place. Then there's Casa de los Tiros, owned by the Granada Venegas family, former Nasrid nobles who had to convert to Christianity and change their names after the conquest.

If you want to dig deeper into all these historical layers, an El Realejo audio guide can help connect the dots between what you're seeing and the complex past. The Torres Bermejas up on the hill might even predate the Alhambra itself.

The locals call themselves "greñúos" - a reference to the curly hair their Sephardic predecessors wore. About 17,000 people live here now, in what's become an eclectic, multicultural district. It's not just a museum piece though. Campo del Príncipe buzzes with tapas bars, and the whole neighborhood has this lived-in quality that makes Granada's complicated history feel immediate and real.