Typical chimney in
Sayalonga |
The village of Sayalonga is in the heart of the
Axarquía, 44 kilometres from Malaga on the N-340 and 28 kilometres almost
due east from the town of Vélez-Málaga. The village itself is situated
just nine kilometres from the coast and 359 metres above sea level, while
the highest point of the municipality, the hill known as La Rábita, reaches
672 metres. The
village is crossed by a main street with an intricate maze of narrow winding
passages on either side. A new wide square is situated at the entrance to
Sayalonga and this has become the focal point of village life. The narrowest
of all the streets, with low, one or two-storey houses on either side, is
Calle La Alcuza, where at either end your elbows brush against the walls as
you pass. The historical origins of
Sayalonga are confusing. The foundation of the settlement has been
attributed to the Moors simply because no remains from earlier civilisations
have been found, although the etymology of the name, Saya-longa, is clearly
Latin and means "long tunic". To
the west of the village lies La Rábita hill. This was the site of a
sanctuary or monastery of warrior monks introduced by the Arabs from the
eleventh century onwards to defend the area. It was here, at La Rábita,
that the poet Ali Ibn Ahmd Ibn Muhammad Al-Hasni was born at the beginning
of the fourteenth century. He was the person who wrote the history of the
holy city of Mecca and also that of the Moorish governors of Malaga. When
the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, conquered Vélez-Málaga,
Sayalonga also fell, as did all the other local villages. In a short time
the municipality was relegated to second place in the administration of the
area and so the inhabitants joined in the rebellion of Arabs living under
Christian rule, which led to their expulsion after the final denouement, the
battle of Frigiliana, in 1569. The name Loma de Matamoros (Moor-killing
hill), on the road to La Rábita, dates from this time, as do the Moorish
graves nearby. King
Philip II issued a royal decree in 1571 in which the goods and assets of all
the Moors were confiscated and handed over to the Christians who had arrived
from different parts of Spain to settle in the area. The newcomers continued
with the same type of agriculture as before, creating terraces, which are
still in use today. The economy of the area is based almost entirely on the
vineyards, although tropical fruit have been introduced in recent years.
Places
to be visited
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Church
of Santa Catalina
The church of Santa Catalina (St. Catherine’s) is almost at the
end of the main street, which cuts the village in two. This church
is Mudéjar in construction, dating from the sixteenth century,
but with later restoration work. It has two naves inside, with
square pillars supporting semicircular arches. There is also a
little chapel with an image of Our Lady of the Rosary, the patron
saint of the village. Painted in several colours, the effigy dates
from the seventeenth century Granada school. The
exterior design is simple, with a semicircular arched entrance, a
square-based tower with a bell-tower on top, opening into four
semicircular arches. Separate from the main church is a chapel
dedicated to San Antón, in which one can see the coloured wood
carving of the saint, dating from the 18th century. The
cemetery of Sayalonga, which can be seen from the road, is known
for its curious circular layout.
Corumbela
In the little old hamlet of Corumbela, perched on a hilltop a few
kilometres from Sayalonga, stands the church of San Pedro on the
site of an old mosque. The simple but beautiful minaret, now
converted into a Christian bell tower, remains in place.
Trekking
The attractive countryside around the village provides several
walks of average difficulty for ramblers and hill-walkers. One of
these routes, with panoramic views, goes round La Rábita hill.
Another, which takes about three hours on foot but can also be
done by mountain bike, follows the River Cájula to the hamlet of
Corumbela. Mediterranean mountain vegetation grows on either side
of the way, with the addition of planted carob, olive and almond
trees among others. Several species of plant, indigenous to the
municipality, also grow here. A third path takes in all the
remains of the past in the municipality, including the village’s
unique circular cemetery.
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| Where
to eat |
El Chiringuito.
Specialising in traditional foods from the locality. Plaza Rafael
Alcoba, s/n. Tel: 689 509 642 Sayalonga
Mesón Morisco. Specilaising
in home cooking, meats and beef. Plaza Rafael Alcoba, 8. Tel: 952
535 261. Sayalonga.
Bar-Restaurante Palustre.
Specialising in home cooking and kid. Plaza Rafael Alcoba, 5. Tel:
952 635 214. Sayalonga.
Mesón del Níspero.
International cuisine. Callejón del Mirador, 2. Tel: 952 535 216.
Sayalonga.
Café-Bar Jocavi. Specialising
in home cooking and tapas. Plaza Rafael Alcoba, 11. Tel: 952 535
177. Sayalonga
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| Where
to sleep |
Casa
rural Díaz Chamorro. Situated in the centre of
Sayalonga. Two apartments of 5 beds and one of 6 beds, with
fireplace. Tel: 952 307 773.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
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View of one of the
village streets |
FIESTAS
One of the most important festivities in
the municipal district is related to food, the Día del Níspero, (Loquat
Day) in the month of May, when visitors have the opportunity to try the
fruit. There is also a summer fair at the end of July before the whole
village embarks on the grape picking. The feast day of the patron saint,
Our Lady of the Rosary, is celebrated on October 7th, when the image of
the Virgin is carried in procession to a spot on the River Algarrobo known
as El Lavadero, the washing place. Once there everybody takes part in a
paella cooking competition, accompanied by wine tasting, with bands
playing in the background. The villagers start to make their way back at
sunset and the image of the Virgin is restored once again to its place in
the church, with a final firework display to round off the day.
Another important fiesta, held on September 7th and
8th, is the Lumbres, as they are called by the villagers. These are fires
built at the doors of farmhouses during the grape-picking harvest and
whole families congregate around them, singing and dancing, drinking
spirits and eating roasted chick peas, in a tradition which is clearly
pre-Roman in origin and, in fact, very closely adhered to in the whole of
the Axarquía during the grape harvest.
GASTRONOMY
Dishes that are typical of
this village include sopa cachorreña, made with oranges and garlic, the
name coming from an old family in the area; pumpkin fried with oregano, a
traditional Moorish dish; fried breadcrumbs with herrings and grapes; and
kid in garlic. In Corumbela, a tasty bread is baked in wood-fired ovens.
The local vineyards produce a delicious muscatel wine, made using
old-fashioned non-industrial methods. The introduction of tropical fruits
means that mangoes and loquats are commonplace on Sayalonga tables, as are
raisins and honey.
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