Guadalest is perched on a high crag and the upper part of the village, and the access to the castle, is through a forty foot tunnel hewn out of the rock. On the highest point of the rock is the remains of San Jose Castle which was built in the 12th century. The castle was almost completely destroyed by earthquakes in 1644 and 1748. In 1974 Guadalest was given the status of an historical and artistic town.