Source of the
Guadiaro |
Benaoján is situated in the Sierra de Líbar,
making it one of the most mountainous municipalities in Andalucía. Among
the highest peaks in the area are La Ventana, at 1,284 metres, and El Palo
at 1,373 metres high. The river Guadiaro, fed by the Nacimiento and Barranco
de la Dehesa streams, provide the area with water all the year round.
The history of human settlement in Benaoján goes back to pre-historic
times, as is evident from the paintings discovered in the La Pileta cave.
Since they were painted, many other civilisations have settled here, with
indications of Phoenician, Roman, Visigoth, Moorish and Christian life in
this area. The Torre del Moro, built by the Moors so many years ago, still
stands in this place, and in fact, the very name of the village comes from
the Arabic Ben-Oján, meaning "Sons of Oján", a Berber tribe, or
"House of the Baker".
The defenders of the Castle of Benaoján surrendered to the Christians in
1485, although the Moriscos continued to live there until they joined the
rebellion of the 16th century and were subsequently expelled from their
lands.
In our day Benaoján is a charming mountain village that has adapted itself
to a changing society without losing its sense of history, and offers a wide
range of rural houses and accommodation to visitors. These include a hotel,
a rural inn, a hostal and numerous houses both in the town and the
countryside. A good time to visit is during the Verbena del Tren, when one
can sample one of the most delicious dishes of the area, the chacina
benaojeña, which has been made from local pork here for the past hundred
years. The land and climate here is ideal for pig farming, and the pork
products made in Benaoján are famous all over Southern Spain.
Places
to be visited
 |
Cueva
de la Pileta and surroundings
The entrance to the Pileta Cave is on the side of one of the
Sierra de Líbar hills, at 700 metres above sea level. It was
found by José Bullón Lobato in the year 1905, and inside were
discovered various items and paintings that point to human life
here in the Palaeolithic era, declared a National Monument in
1924. There are a number of different galleries inside where one
can see some of the best-conserved wall paintings in Spain, along
with many stalagmites and stalactites. Subterranean streams have
created a lake in the caves that is truly a spectacular sight. The
oldest drawings show figurative and geometric motifs, in which one
can see images of pre-historic mountain goats, rhinoceroses,
cattle and horses, all painted with the fingers. Later drawings
show fish, bison, horses and geometric shapes in red and black.
One of the galleries has a well-preserved skeleton of a young
woman, and there were also found various pieces of ceramic work
and tools dating from Palaeolithic and Neolithic times.
There are other natural caves carved out of the limestone by time
in the mountains around Benaoján. The Cueva del Gato cave is of
much archaeological interest, where finds were also made in the
past. Being situated beside the Guadiaro river, it has a
geological interest also, the waters of the river Gaduares flowing
out of here in an underground stream for four kilometres before
surfacing.
Natural surroundings
The area surrounding Benaoján is one of the most beautiful in
Andalucía, being inside the Nature Park of Grazalema and only a
few kilometres from the Los Alcornocales and Sierra de Las Nieves
parks. The landscape is very mountainous, especially where the
river Guadiaro flows, and there is great contrast between the lush
river banks and the bare heights in the mountains. One can come
upon especially beautiful areas like El Pozuelo, or the little
plain near the Cueva de la Pileta. The Valley of the Guadiaro is a
popular tourist spot, as is the Tajo de la Dehesa and the station
area.
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| Where
to eat |
Restaurante
Los Cascajales. The Estación area. Tel: 952 167 151.
Venta Cueva del Gato.
Carretera de la Dehesilla. Tel: 952 167 366.
Venta Las Banderas. Carretera
de la Dehesilla. Tel: 952 168 046.
Bar Stop. The Estación area.
Tel: 952 167 142.
Bar Tropical. C/Cruces. Tel:
952 167 233.
Bar Capa Negra. Presbítero
José Moreno. Tel: 952 166 465.
Bar Palma. Avda.
Constitución. Tel: 952 167 139. Bar
Acuario. Avda. Constitución, Pub
Araña. Avda. Constitución, Bar
El Tajillo. C/Fuente, Bar
Carrasco. C/Fuente, Bar
Bárbara Benítez Caballero. Plaza de San Marcos, 1.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Molino del Santo
La Estación area. Tel: 952 167 151.
Cortijo Rural La Bodega.
Carretera de la Dehesilla. Tel: 952 167 238 and 952 167 329.
Cortijo Rural Los Almendros.
Carretera de la Dehesilla. Tel: 952 167 129.
Albergue La Ermita. (Sporting
activities in the open). La Estación area. Tel: 952 167 402.
Rural houses. In the Old Town,
calling the following numbers: 952 167 123, 952 167 154, 952 167
238, 952 167 331.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
The streets and
houses of Benaoján follow the lie of the land |
FIESTAS
The previously mentioned Verbena del
Tren, which takes place in the Barriada de la Estación, is one of the big
events in the Benaoján festive calendar. Along with the delicious
chorizada benaojeña, which one can taste on the Sunday night of the
fiesta, there is also sangría handed out free to all. The swimming pool
is also open for those who might want to cool down during the warm
afternoons. There is dancing and other activities too, which means
everybody has a good time. Other festivals of interest include the Virgen
del Rosario, on October 7th, and the festival in honour of San Marcus on
April 25th.
GASTRONOY
The most traditional
dishes of Benaoján are rabbit in garlic and gazpacho, although one cannot
speak of the local cuisine without mentioning the wonderful dishes made
from locally-raised pork. This tradition has a century-old history in this
area, and the various pork products of the locality are known far beyond
the boundaries of Benaoján for their excellence and exquisite flavour
that only such a mountain area can provide.The production of pork meats
and sausages is the main source of income for the people of the
municipality, although many local farmers are also involved in the
cultivation of olive trees, vegetables and cereals, and many more keep
sheep and goats. In the area of craftwork, the most common products to
come out of the town are agricultural implements and accessories made from
cane and wickerwork.
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