The name on the cave
Who was La Faraona?
La Faraona as the venue's history page tells it: a dancer and singer born in 1896 who led her own zambra and founded a family tablao in the Sacromonte.
Book flamenco in the Sacromonte cave ↗Quick answer
La Faraona was, by the venue's account, a dancer and singer born in 1896, the daughter of the singer Parrón El Viejo. She led her own zambra and founded the Zambra La Faraona in 1947, a family tablao that its history page says is still active in the Sacromonte. This guide follows that page.
Where the story comes from
Everything in this guide about La Faraona comes from the history page of the venue's own site, so treat it as the family's account rather than an outside biography. The page describes her as a dancer, a singer and the captain of her own zambra. Its slogan for the cave is a century of flamenco art, and it says her spirit is still present at every performance more than a hundred years later.
Family and early years
The page says she was born in 1896, the daughter of the singer Parrón El Viejo. It says she began her artistic career in what it calls the first zambra of the Sacromonte. In 1913, it says, she travelled to America with that group at the age of 17 and performed in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
The 1922 contest
The venue's page says she entered the 1922 song contest in Granada, the Concurso de Cante Jondo, organised by Manuel de Falla, Federico García Lorca and others. Wikipedia's article on the contest dates it to 13 and 14 June 1922 and says it was held at the Alhambra, with Falla as principal organiser and Lorca its most active promoter. The same article says the singer Manuel Torre sang alegrías to palmas clapped by local Romani women of the Sacromonte.
Founding the zambra
In 1947, the venue's page says, she founded the Zambra La Faraona, a family tablao that is still active in the Sacromonte. Zambra, Wikipedia says, is a flamenco dance linked to the Romani of Granada and Almería and is often performed for visitors in the Sacromonte caves. The page says the cave keeps a history that began with La Faraona, and that the present team continues that tradition.
Performers, family and later life
According to the page, she was a model for the photographers and painters Max Moreau and Apperley, appeared on postcards of her time, and performed for King Alfonso XIII and for King George V of England. She married José Heredia, called El Catite, and was the mother of eight children, most of whom went into flamenco. The page calls her an entrepreneur and a matriarch of a long family line.
The cave today
The venue's home page calls itself a family cave full of soul, and its shows page lists the flamenco show, a Tuesday tertulia and a late-night session, each with its own character. The flamenco show puts the dance first, supported by guitar and singing, with other artists joining in. Online booking runs through the venue's reservation page, and this guide's ticket is the one-hour show only.
What this means for a visit
The ticket is for a flamenco show of one hour in a cave with room for 25 spectators, not a biography of La Faraona. Still, the history explains the name on the door and the idea of a cave kept by one family. The venue also says it is the smallest cave in the barrio by capacity. A visit puts you in a room that the family connects with that history.
Frequently asked questions
When was La Faraona born?
In 1896, according to the venue's history page.
When was the zambra founded?
In 1947, the page says, as a family tablao still active in the Sacromonte.
Is this an independent biography?
No. It follows the venue's own page, which is the family's account.
Sources