Partial view of the
cemetery. |
Júzcar is situated in the Alto del Genal, which is
in the Ronda Mountains region, extending from the Jarastepar peak, at 1,425
metres above sea level, to the municipalities of Estepona and Benahavís.
The landscape is varied in this large municipality, from the rocky terrain
of the northern Sierra del Oreganal to the pine and chestnut woods of the
lower Sierra Bermeja mountain range. There are small mountains of pine and
oak mixing with scrub land near the village itself, reaching from the Las
Lomas to the El Cerro del Jardón peak, 1,156 metres high. For a good view
over the entire area, one can go to the Riachuelo stream or a little further
on and see the white houses speckled over the sides of the Alto del Genal.
This hilly terrain has conditioned the layout of the village itself, whose
houses seem to be piled one over the other to compensate for the sharply
differing levels, a feature of the place that is also evident in the steep
and winding streets, some of them stepped. In this respect, Júzcar is quite
similar to other mountain towns in the Ronda area, although one of the
rather unique elements in this place is the large number of chimneys that
reach out from the irregular rooftops.
The origins of the village are not very clear, although it is believed that
the place was lived in before the arrival of the Moors. Following the
Christian conquest of the area, the surrounding urban centres were seriously
de-populated, and the remaining residents grouped together in what is now
the village, building a church there in 1505. To judge from the number of
outlying urban areas that fell under the jurisdiction of Júzcar in the
past, one can assume that the village was quite important in its time.
Pascual Madoz, in his Geographical/Historical/Statistical Dictionary of
Spain (1845-50), lists six different areas as having been part of the
municipality of the Júzcar. But like all the other towns in the area, this
place suffered de-population when the Mosricos were expelled, and outsiders
had to be brought in to re-populate the area.
Places
to be visited
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The
Tin Factory
The first ever factory set up in Spain for the production of tin
was built in Júzcar, according to a book published by the Altos
Hornos de Vizcaya, the biggest foundry in the country. The reason
Júzcar was chosen as the site was the ready supply of hardwood in
the area, essential in the smelting process. The factory began
production in the year 1731 under the rather cumbersome trading
name "The never before seen in Spain Royal Tin and its
Adherents Factory, under the reign of the always invincible
Catholic Monarchs don Felipe V and doña Isabel Farnesio."
This, in any case, was written in stone at the entrance, the book
tells us. The factory, situated beside the river in a place now
known as the Finca La Fábrica, had a secret research area, and
employed 200 workers. About 30 technicians under the management of
two Swiss engineers, Pedro Menrón and Emerico Dupasquier, were
brought in from Germany to run the place, since the smelting
process was not known in this country. The story goes that the
technicians were smuggled out of Germany in barrels, since their
departure was prohibited by law, in the interests of protecting
the industry’s secrets. We are also told that camels, rather
than the more usual horses, donkeys or mules, were used to
transport the products across the mountains, because they were
better suited towards this task. They were sent there by the
Madrid Government for this purpose. The factory, however, went
bankrupt in the face of later tough Basque and Asturian
competition.
Church of Santa Catalina
The Church of Santa Catalina is the most interesting building in
the village. It dates from the 16th century, although
it has been restructured many times since then, the last
reformation of the building being done after the Civil War. It was
built in a single nave with a flat ceiling that hides the remains
of an earlier, Mudejar-style supporting structure. Of
special interest in the surrounding area is the Cueva del Moro
(the Moor’s cave) and the area that the river Genal flows
through.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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Júzcar is situated
in beautiful countryside |
FIESTAS
The festival in honour of the town’s patron saint, the Virgen del
Moclón, takes place from August 24th to 26th. This
is the biggest festive event in the year, and people come from far and
near to participate and enjoy the festival. The Day of San José is also
an important date, taking place on March 19th, and the
Romería, that is held at the end of June. The tradition of the El Niño
del Huerto on Easter Sunday is celebrated here, as in neighbouring
Igualeja.
GASTRONOMY
The main ingredients of the most
traditional dishes of the village come from the surrounding countryside,
and these include almonds, chestnuts, olive oil, citrus fruits and grapes.
Local wine is also made, and various types of grapes are produced here.
Most of the main dishes are similar to those of other Ronda Mountain
towns, with plenty of good pork products, soups and rabbit in garlic. All
this can be eaten accompanied by the excellent local wines, made from the
grapes grown in the area. In craftwork, the people of the place produce
lovely pieces in straw, wickerwork and ironwork, as well as objects made
from cork.
LEGEND OF THE VIRGEN DE MOCLÓN
Local legend has it that the image of the
Virgin de Moclón, the patron saint of the village, was found by a young
shepherd in the area known as Moclón. Seeing how small it was, the
youngster assumed it to be a toy and put it in his bag to take it home.
Arriving home, he found it was no longer there. He tried twice more to
take the statue home but each time it disappeared from the bag, and the
next day he discovered the statue was in the same place he had found it.
He then threw a stone at it in anger, cutting the face. Despite various
attempted to repair the cut, it is still visible to this day.
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