The Mula River Valley is located in the middle of the Murcia Region, being Mula the largest town of the area.
There are several traces left that show that this area has been intensely occupied, as it was already inhabited back from the Middle Paleolithic. The Iberian culture is exceptionally treated in Mula, as the important site of Cigarralejo's Necropolis have made the possible the study in depth of this stage of Antiquity.
Mula still has a great number of buildings that made it be declared Historical and Artistic Set of National Importance in 1981. At the old part of the town, surrounded by its narrow and winding streets, it is a must to visit the medieval area, the old Jewish Quarter. From this old area, we cannot forget the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Parish Church, the oldest of the town, which was started in 1557, the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Hermitage, built at the end of the 18 th century over Renaissance remains, with a tower from the 15 th century, the Real Monasterio de la Encarnación , monastery that was declared National Building, from the 16 th century, and finally San Miguel Church, started about 1560.
From the Renaissance and, overall, Baroque time, we got a rich legacy of numerous monuments, which show us the importance this area had.
Among the conglomerate of Baroque palaces and ancestral homes, where the old owner's coats of arms can be seen, we can highlight, due to its regional and particular meaning, the Casa Pintada and the Palace of the Menahermosa Marquis, that houses the Museo Ibérico del Cigarralejo. This museum is considered as one of the most significant of the Spanish Iron Age, as inside its ten room, a wide representation of the Iberian sepulchral habits is kept.
The presence of Mula in the Theodomir's Treaty in 713, shows it was one of the seven most important cities constituting the old administrative unity of the Southeast from the Visigoth and Muslim period until the 10 th century.
Lots of traces show the Islamic influence in this area, as the paradigmatic Castillo de la Puebla or Alcalá castle. Even now, the most part of the walls around the town and the remains of the old Muslim fortress are still standing.
At the top of the hill that protects Mula from the North wind, we can highlight the most eminent and unique building of the town. It is the Castillo de los Fajardo, a castle built as a fortress by the first Vélez Marquis, Pedro Fajardo, about 1525. In this castle, it is the family coats of arms and the slim tower what stands out.
Among the different festivals of the town, it is the "Mula's drums" the most famous tradition, known by its popular peculiarity and idiosyncrasy. It dates back from the first decades of the 19 th century. It started as a protest against authorities and the Church, but nowadays it is held at the same time that other religious activities. Everything begins on Easter Wednesday, at midnight, with the thunder of thousands of drums at the Town Hall Square - a noisy magical orgy.
Six kilometers away from the city, towards Murcia, we can find the famous Baños de Mula, a thermal spa whose historical peak was reached during the 18th century, and is still open nowadays.
2005 Fundación Casa Pintada - C/ San Francisco, 14 - 30170 - Mula (Murcia)
There are several traces left that show that this area has been intensely occupied, as it was already inhabited back from the Middle Paleolithic. The Iberian culture is exceptionally treated in Mula, as the important site of Cigarralejo's Necropolis have made the possible the study in depth of this stage of Antiquity. 
National Importance in 1981. At the old part of the town, surrounded by its narrow and winding streets, it is a must to visit the medieval area, the old Jewish Quarter. From this old area, we cannot forget the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Parish Church, the oldest of the town, which was started in 1557, the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Hermitage, built at the end of the 18 th century over Renaissance remains, with a tower from the 15 th century, the Real Monasterio de la Encarnación , monastery that was declared National Building, from the 16 th century, and finally San Miguel Church, started about 1560. 
Casa Pintada and the Palace of the Menahermosa Marquis, that houses the Museo Ibérico del Cigarralejo. This museum is considered as one of the most significant of the Spanish Iron Age, as inside its ten room, a wide representation of the Iberian sepulchral habits is kept. 
Among the different festivals of the town, it is the "Mula's drums" the most famous tradition, known by its popular peculiarity and idiosyncrasy. It dates back from the first decades of the 19 th century. It started as a protest against authorities and the Church, but nowadays it is held at the same time that other religious activities. Everything begins on Easter Wednesday, at midnight, with the thunder of thousands of drums at the Town Hall Square - a noisy magical orgy. 