View of one of the
streets of the town |
Benalauría lies hidden in the lush landscape of
the Genal Valley, in the heart
of the Ronda Mountains, in which the highest peaks are the Loma de la
Sierra (1,137 metres) and the Peñón de
Benadalid (1,116 metres), situated in the
neighbouring municipality of the same name. The
history of the town goes back to the Moorish invasion, and there is neither
documentary evidence nor archaeological remains to show the existence
of earlier, pre-historic settlements here. It is known, however, that
the Romans were here, because of the route of the Genal-Turón road that
linked Gibraltar with the Ronda area. The first
settlers in the region that we know of
were the Banu-l-Hawariyya Berber tribe, from whom the town gets its
name. They established homes on the mountainside to form a sophisticated
irrigation complex, using gravity to create the necessary flow of
water for their crops and domestic purposes. Above this irrigation line
there is no cultivation, although the land is
used for pasture and forestry. Following
the Christian conquest, the Moors remained on as Moriscos (converted
Muslims) under the jurisdiction of the Condes de Feria. After various
rebellions, they were expelled in the year 1570, and the town was then
occupied by Christians from the Guadalquivir Valley and Sierra Morena
areas, subject to the rule of the Alcalá and
Medinaceli families. The population
increased in the 18th century from 383 to 885 inhabitants (in 1787)
as a result of the favourable economic conditions of the time, especially
in the cultivation of cereals and grapes, and later olive oil production.
It was at this time that the oil mills were built, and they can still
be seen here. The church was also built at this period, along with the
Plaza, the Town Hall building, the Pósito de
Labradores (granary) and other buildings.
The result is a pleasing collection of buildings with an 18th century
flavour. The local economy reached its high point at the dawn of the 20th
century.
Places
to be visited
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Natural
surroundings
The Benalauría municipality extends from the Genal Valley to the
Guadiaro Valley in a landscape
that is covered in pine, chestnut and walnut trees, with
olive groves leading down to the town itself. The Genal river is
the administrative limit of the
municipality, and winds it was through very beautiful
and lush landscape. Beyond the Loma de la Sierra is the valley of
the Guadiaro, this land being less
wild and used for cereal and pasture. There
are cork groves here too, extending from south to north towards
the Cerro del Panderón, which
offers spectacular views of the river and the railway
line that runs through the narrow valley.
Town Centre
The layout of the town is similar to that of many other urban
centres in the region. At 667
metres above sea level, the ground is hilly and the streets
subsequently steep in places, with
some small streets built in steps. One of the
most interesting buildings in the centre is the Town Hall, dating
from the 18th century. It has a
brick entrance and windows on both sides done in wrought
ironwork in the Ronda style. A balcony looks out from above,
complete with town coat-of-arms.
Another interesting building is the Church of
Santo Domingo, built in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Ethnological museum
The Ethnological Museum is an old olive oil mill in which we can
see all types of objects and
tools relating to life in the countryside and in the old
houses of the town. It shows us how the people of the place worked
and lived in days gone by, and
what tools and equipment they used. The building dates
from the 18th century, and we can still see here how the olives
were pressed and the oil
extracted, along with the actual press itself, measuring 12
metres. Address: C/Alta. Tel: 952 152 548 Timetable: Saturdays,
Sundays and festivals, from 1
to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Appointments may be made to visit
outside these times.
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| Where
to eat |
Mesón La
Molienda. Specialising in traditional cooking. Tel: 952
152 548.
Bar Casa Manolo. Tapas and
meals. Tel: 952 152 818.
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| Where
to sleep |
Rural
Houses
María la Barriguilla (8 p.).
Tel: 952 870 739, Las Parras (3 p.).
Tel: 952 870 739, Candiles
(6 p.). Tel: 952 870 739, El
Olivo(4 p.). Tel: 952 870 739,
El Horno (4 p.). Tel: 952 152
500, De Arriba (6 p.). Tel:
952 152 500, La
Molienda (2 p.). Tel: 952 870 739, La
Barbería (2 p.). Tel: 952 870 739, La
Flor de Romero (3 p.). Tel: 952 152 535, Casa
Aurelio (2 p.). Tel: 952 152
577.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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FIESTAS
The eve of the festival in honour of
Nuestra Señora del Rosario takes place
in October. The streets of the town fill with people at this time, and
there
are various religious ceremonies associated with the Virgen. One of the
most
popular festive events in the town is the Moros y Cristianos, the Moors
and
the Christians, which takes place on the first Sunday in August and in
which
both sides fight for possession of the image of the Virgen. The Moors win
the first round, but the battle ends with the Christians capturing the
castle and forcing its defenders to convert to Christianity. The event is
about 50 years old, first organised by the town¹s Asociación de Moros y
Cristianos, and more than 100 people from the town participate, dressed in
the costumes of the time made by Association members. The annual Feria in
honour of Santo Domingo de Guzmán takes place in August. The big event in
Semana Santa, Holy Week, is the Good Friday procession that begins at
seven
in the morning, popularly known as "Los Mandaitos". At the
beginning of
November there is the "tostón" de castañas, the roasting of
the chestnuts.
Carnival in the town is during the final week in
February.
GASTRONOY
The gastronomy of Benalauría is mainly
comprised of dishes whose ingredients come
from the surrounding areas, mostly port products. During Lent, the most
traditional dish is fennel soup, and in
summertime hot gazpacho is eaten. The
most common dessert is the home-made doughnuts. In
an effort to recuperate the old traditional crafts of the town, the Town
Hall has organised a Feria de Artesanía, a
Craft Fair, whose first edition took
place last year. Using the slogan "Artesanía Viva, Artesanía
Joven" (Living Craft, Young Craft)
the event showed a wide variety of craftwork
that had almost been
lost forever to the town.
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