Church of Nuestra
Señora de Gracia |
In the interior of the Axarquía, just 25
kilometres from Malaga, and 451 metres above sea level, Moclinejo is known
as the gateway to the Raisin Route. The most direct route there is by the
main road, the autovía, observing the road signs once past the La Cala del
Moral. The
centre of the village, of Moorish origin, consists of one or two storey
houses made of rubble and slate, which give the place quite a unique
appearance. On some of the facades you can still see small niches containing
images of saints. As for the streets, although they are made of tarmac, they
have kept to their original unruly and winding routes.
The Plaza de España is considered to be the most attractive part of
Moclinejo and is the meeting place for local residents. It is a spacious
open area with attractive paving, enclosed by the Town Hall, the back of the
church and the village’s most important buildings.
As far as the village’s history is concerned, above all it is worth
mentioning a tragic incident in this area that gave the name to the Hoya de
los Muertos or the Cuesta de Matanza. In 1483, Mulay Hacen was dethroned in
Granada and took refuge in the castle. The provocative attitude of the Moors
enraged the Christians, who attempted to punish him, but the Moors fought
back forcefully from the hilltop and decimated the Christian troops. Mulay
Hacen gained great prestige from the victory.
Later, after it became part of the kingdom of the Catholic King and Queen,
Moclinejo went from strength to strength thanks to its vineyards, which were
destroyed after the phylloxera plague in 1878, having started in the
municipality and later spread throughout the province of Malaga. The
municipality managed to recuperate its vineyards many years afterwards, and
they now form the base of the local economy, along with the production of
olive oil. Both the wine and the raisins from the area are well known in the
province as a whole.
Places
to be visited
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Church
of Nuestra Señora de Gracia
The parish church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia was built during
the 16th and 17th centuries. It boasts a bell tower with beautiful
Moorish arcades. A detail to note is the choir gate, in
modernistic style.
Manchón de las Minas
At the Manchón de las Minas you will find the entrances to
several mines, once containing silver, it is said. They had to be
closed because of flooding.
Natural surroundings
Moclinejo is surrounded by numerous gorges and steep inclines, as
is the entire Malaga Mountains region. The landscape is dry for
most of the year, the streams filling with water only during the
winter period. There are
various routes one can take in the municipal area, the most
interesting of which brings us to the southern end of the
Piedrasblancas peak. To get there, one must keep heading west to
reach Totalán. Another way to get there would be to continue
north, almost as far as the source of the Totalán stream, then go
on up from here on a laneway to the venta Cárdenas, in front of
the Santo Pítar, or down towards the Totalán stream.
Customs: Noisy Christmas
One of the more curious traditions in Moclinejo involves the
people of the place, armed with all types of weapon, old and new,
marching in a procession and making as much noise as possible.
Shots are fired and firecrackers are set off in a tumultuous
welcome to the Child Jesus on Christmas Day. The story of this
traditional festival is told by the writer Arturo Astilleros in
his book "Historia de Vélez-Málaga".
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| Where
to eat |
Bar Reyes.
Specialising in tapas. Plaza de España, 9. Tel: 952 400 558.
Bar Tres Peniques. Home
cooking, specialising in meatballs in almond sauce. Plaza
de España, 13. Tel: 952 400 502.
Bar Alcira. C/Málaga. El
Valdés. Tel: 952 404 241.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
La Axarquía. Carretera de Moclinejo, Km.1. Tel:
952 400 507 Fax 952 400 641.
Casa El Sol. Rural
accommodation, 4/5 people for weekends. The house, facing the
church and restored to its original state, is more than 300 years
old. All services available. Tel: 952 405 740.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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The colourful windows
in the whitewashed houses of Moclinejo |
FIESTAS
The feria in honour of the town’s
patron saint, San Bartolomé, takes place at the end of August. It begins
at eight in the morning of the Thursday with fireworks, and the procession
of San Bartolomé through the streets takes place that night. The next day’s
festivities begin early too, with a ribbon race for children on bicycles,
and other games. The Flamenco Night starts at midnight, and there is the
usual mass at midday on the Sunday. The festivities end with more
fireworks at 2.30 in the morning of the following day, with dancing and
fireworks. Other festivals of interest in Moclinejo are the Representation
of the Life and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday, in which
the whole town takes part. On Easter Sunday, the young people of the town
"rob" the flowerpots of their neighbours to decorate the squares
in the town, a very emotional event with great visual impact. On the first
day of April the Cultural Weeks in the El Valdés and Moclinejo area takes
place, and in the same place there is the festival in honour of their
patron saint, the Virgen of Lourdes, on July 21st, 22nd
and 23rd.
GASTRONOY
The gastronomic delights of
Moclinejo are mainly the sweet beverages of the area, following the
traditional stamping of the grapes in September. The wine of the region
goes down very well with the traditional foods cooked in breadcrumbs, the
cod casseroles or the soups. Worth mentioning too is the solomillo a la
pasa, made with meat and wine. In summer the people like to eat the
ajoblanco and gazpacho soups, a speciality of the area that is enjoyed
beyond the frontiers of the town.
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