What is "cortijo"

A cortijo is a type of traditional rural habitat in the Southern half of Spain, including all of Andalusia and parts of Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha.

Cortijos may have their origins in ancient Roman villas, for the word is derived from the Latin cohorticulum, a diminutive of cohors, meaning ' courtyard'. They are often isolated structures associated with a large family farming or livestock operation in the vast and empty adjoining lands.