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Church of San Juan

The coastal mountains meet the Guadalhorce Valley between the cork oak and pine woods of Alpujata de Coín. According to archaeological finds made in the Cerro del Aljibe area of Coín, people have lived here since the first century B.C. Tombs and ceramic pieces found in the Llano de la Virgen area show evidence of a medieval settlement in the area, although we know the Romans stopped off here too. They named the place Lacib-is, later changing it to La Cobbin and finally setting on Castro Dacuan. From this last name, it is thought, the name Cohine derives. The name Castro, nevertheless, makes us think of some social structure or base of what is now Coín. It was the Moors who began to build the town that now stands, making it one of the most important in the region. Abderraman III raised the defensive walls over the remains of the ancient Roman settlement. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta llamó called Coín (Dacuan) "a beautiful castle with many trees and fruit groves," while Al Jatib heaped great praise on the town. Coín achieved a high level of economic well-being, due in no small part to the commercial talent of the Jews, who traded successfully in wine, olive oil, figs, raisins and almonds.
The Villa was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs following some skirmishes in which Captain Pedro Ruiz de Alarcón lost his life in an incursion into a fortress, and seeing that he was on the point of dying, exclaimed: "I did not come in fighting in order to flee from the fight." King Fernando the Católico ordered more artillery to be brought in, and Coín was left in ruins after the siege. Settlers were planted from outside by the Catholic Monarchs, and the economy of the town once again prospered. November 10^th,1810, was a day to remember in Coín. On that day a violent storm inundated the town and destroyed many houses. The town was awarded the title of Ciudad (city, although not in the English sense of the word) in 1930 by King Alfonso XIII.

Places to be visited

The Town of the Fountains Coín could be called the Town of the Fountains, due to the large number of public fountains with drinking water around the streets and squares, used until relatively recently as the only source of drinking water in the town. An interesting visit would be to the source of the river Alaminos, in an area known as La Fuente. The sides of the small valley here are steep, especially in the eastern end where the water tumbles over the rocky floor of the river Tajo el Rayo. The entrance to this beautiful area is by the Mijas road. The churches of Coín There are four churches in Coín, all of them artistically and historically interesting. The church of Santa María de la Encarnación, dating from the 15th century and built over an old mosque, was the first parish church in the town. The Moorish minaret is now the bell tower, and the rest of the exterior decoration show the Mozarab influence. Inside is a single nave with a ribbed dome, decorated in gesso. The Church of the Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz (not now in existence) was founded in the first third of the 16th century and built outside the town walls on the Monda road. It was used as a convent for various religious orders, and the only part remaining to this day is the triangular tower, one of the few with this shape in Andalucía. The Church of San Juan was built incorporating a square tower at the town walls, now a bell tower, into the overall design. It is one of the biggest churches in the province, dating from the 16th century and showing clear evidence of the Mudejar influence. And finally, the old Hospital de la Caridad, dating from the 18th century, has the Church of San Andrés built on to. The most interesting parts of the building are the dome, built by local craftsmen, the stained-glass windows, the mannerist façade and the large steeple built in three sections. Another interesting religious structure is the Shrine to Ntra. Sra. de la Fuensanta, built just outside the town between 1544 and 1620. It is a stone structure in the Mozarab style, the ample façade making it quite rare in Andalucía.

Where to eat

Casa Paco. International cuisine. Urb. El Rodeo. Tel: 952 450 349. La Jarra. Fish and seafood. Urb. El Rodeo. Tel: 952 452 016. Piccola Roma. Pizzas and meats. Urb. El Rodeo. Tel: 952 453 506. Hermanos Maza. Fish and meat. Urb. El Rodeo. Tel: 952 453 842. Bohemia. Traditional cooking. Cruce de Coín, Alhaurín and Cártama. Tel: 952 450 545 Restaurante El Palomar.  Urb.Miravalle-Los Llanos. Tel: 952 455 203 Fax: 952 455 219. Venta Hermano Hevilla. Ctra. Coín-Ronda, Km 3. Tel: 952 452 231. Santa Fe.  Ctra. de Marbella, Km, 3. Tel: 952 452 916 . Venta Pedro Lucena. Specialising in rabbit, paella and meat. Ctra. Coín- Alh. El Grande, Km, 3. Tel: 952 451 843. Venta Platero.  Ctra. Coín-Cártama. Tel: 952 452 934. La Cruz de Piedra. Ctra. Coín-Monda, Km. 1. Tel: 952 452 178.

Where to sleep

Hotel Santa Fe.  Ctra. de Marbella, Km, 3. Tel: 952 452 916. Pensión Hostal Coín.  C/Doctor Palomo y Anaya, 36. Tel: 952 451 122. Ruralcibis. Trekking and accommodation. Tel: 610 384 054. Hotel Ciudad del Cine.  Tel: 952 455 446. Hotel El Palomar.  Urb.Miravalle-Los Llanos. Tel: 952 455 203 Fax: 952 455 219. Rural accommodation. Association of Rural Tourism Coín-Guadalhorce. Telephone and fax: 952 452 811.  Rural Accommodation in the province of Malaga (in Spanish)

Links  www.planetavirtual.com/ga/articulos/index.html. A web page where one can find various opinion articles about the town of Coín, written by local author José Manuel Agüera.

Main plaza in Coín

FIESTAS
The most important festival in Coín is the Día de la Cruz, the Day of the Cross, which takes place in May. The Romería at the Shrine to Ntra. Sra. de la Fuensanta takes place on the first Sunday of June, and in August there is the feria, whose origins go back to the 18^th century. In 1765, Carlos III granted the town "the grace of having four days of feria, counting from August 10^th to August 14^th, inclusive." The feria he referred to, of course, was more of a trade fair than a holiday period at that time.

GASTRONOMY AND CRAFTWORK
The gastronomy of Coín is based mainly on soups, broths and stews, made with the produce from the local market gardens. In summer, the principal soup eaten is cold gazpacho. The town is well known for its pastries, with raisins in aguardiente liqueur and fig bread being local specialities too. In the area of craftwork, ceramics is an important craft in Coín, as is ironwork, woodwork, wickerwork, mat and chair making and stonemasonry.

THE LEGEND OF LA FUENSANTA
In 1487, we are told, the Virgen de la Fuensanta appeared to a goatherd just outside the town. As a result, the local people began to build a shrine on the spot in 1544, finishing the single nave in 1620 and the entire structure in 1680. The 11 centimetres-high image of the Virgin dates from the 15^th century, and is said to have been brought here by some knights that took part in the conquest of Coín. A Romería is held here on the first Sunday of June every year.

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