Church of Santa Ana |
Benamocarra is easy to get to from most surrounding
areas. The most direct route
from Malaga is by the Autovía del Mediterráneo towards Vélez, turning
off at the Macharaviaya or Vélez access and
arriving at Benamocarra about half way
between both. As we approach we can see the town as a patch of white
against the darker mountainside. Its layout is typical of the Axarquía:
low whitewashed houses and narrow, winding streets. In the centre of
the town is calle Pilar, so named because of the three pillars or fountains
in the street, two of them together. Other interesting places in the
town centre are calle de Cristo Portal, the Plaza del Labrador and the
Barrio de San Isidro, which is the working-class
area of the town. Eduardo Ocón, one of
the most important of the 20th century Spanish composers,
was born in Benamocarra, and last year was the centenary of his death.
A series of activities organised to coincide with his birthday, February
28th, was organised around that date. One
of the legends of the town concerns its patron saint, the Cristo de la
Salud, whose image as the Cristo de Torre del
Mar, it is said, saved the people of
Benamocarra from a fatal cholera epidemic. It happened at the beginning
of the 19th century when cholera broke out in the region. It soon spread
to Benamocarra, and helpless in the face of such potential tragedy, the
people of the place turned to the Cristo
de Torre del Mar and carried the image to the town itself. When they tried
to brought it back to its place of origin, they discovered it got heavier
as it was carried further, which is not in itself unusual, but on being
brought back towards the town, it got lighter. This was interpreted as
a sign that the
image wished to remain in the town.
Places
to be visited
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Parish
church of Santa Ana
This is situated in the Plaza Eduardo Ocón, and dates from the
16th century. Its interior was
built in three naves covered in pointed arches supported on
pillars. Of particular interest is the
Mudejar-style ceiling of the main nave.
On the outside, there is a tower with a rectangular base, built in
the Mudejar style. Both upper
part and base of the tower suffered reconstruction in
1949, in the process losing much of their original elements.
Close to the church are the El
Calvario and the Constitución squares, well worth
a look at, and in the nearby streets one finds ancient passageways
and interior patios, the arched
openings leading to them being, in former times, the
division between the old and the new town.
Well-known personalities
Eduardo Ocón, who died of pneumonia in Malaga in 1901 at the age
of 68, was one of the
best-known composers of his day. He won the position of second
organist in Malaga Cathedral at the
age of 18, and later travelled to Paris on
a scholarship. He did not stay long there, returning to his native
land to take up the
directorship of the recently established Conservatory of Music.
He was then appointed to his old position as organist in the
cathedral once again, and was
responsible for restoring the organ of Julián de
la Orden. Among his best compositions for the organ are seven
masses and a long series of
other works of religious music, including his famous Miserere.
His non-religious works include the Andalusian Rhapsody and the
Cantos Españoles (Spanish Songs).
José Manuel Lucena Gordo (1902-1983), who became known as the
Poet of the Countryside, was a
goat herd who spent his days in the hills with his herd writing
poetry. He gave them away to his friends and sold some of them in
the local festivals, and in later
years dedicated his time to teaching others
in the town how to read and write. He
lived in a house with a legend. It is known as the Legend of
Cristo del Cortijo de Lucena,
and tells us that, three centuries ago, an unknown person painted
the face of Christ on a holy night, but the painting turned out to
be a self-portrait.
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| Where
to eat |
La
Posada de Manuela. Specialising in grilled meats.
C/Zarzuela. Tel: 952 509 904.
Bar Porras. Home cooking.
C/Andalucía, 26. Tel: 952 509 739.
Bares de tapas
Café El Lugar. C/Málaga, 1. Café
Bar El Comareño. Plaza del Calvario, 17. Tel:
952 509 658. Café Bar El Parque.
C/Iznate, 4. Café Bar El Coni.
C/Doctor Gómez Clavero, 20.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Cerro la Jaula. Cerro la Jaula. Tel: 952 535 685.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
Calle Federico
García Lorca |
FIESTAS
One of the most traditional festivals in
Benamocarra is the Romería de San
Isidro, which takes place on May 15th or the nearest weekend to this
date.The procession begins near the Recinto Ganadero and ends at the Coto
Escolar. The entire town participates in these celebrations, beginning
with
the carrying of the image of San Isidro from the hermitage to the church
at
night. On the following day a float is decked out with flowers by the
people
after the mass, and the romería begins. A meal for all is prepared in the
countryside and there is dancing and other activities. They all return to
the town in the evening and there is another procession through the
streets,
the day ending with fireworks by night.
The festival of La Candelaria is held on September 7th and 8th, in which
candles and home-made torches are lit. The biggest festival of the
Benamocarra calendar, in honour of the Santísimo Cristo de la Salud,
takes
place on the third weekend of October.
GASTRONOY
Among the most traditional dishes in
Benamocarra is the coles moreá, which is
cabbage cooked in olive oil with garlic, pepper, black pudding and sausage.
Other dishes of the area are the pot stew with chickpeas and white beans,
garlic soups and gazpacho fried with flour and vinegar until it forms
a mass that is then fried like doughnuts and
whitened with sugar. It is the
most delicious of all
the Benamocarra dishes.
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