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Nov 27, 2006
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Alcaucín
Alcaucin is a chocolate-box pretty village, located 54 kilometres from Malaga and 25 kilometres from the coast at Torre del Mar. At an altitude of 510 metres, Alcaucin is situated on the lower western slope of La Maroma in the Sierra Tejeda mountain range. It lies within the area of Axarquia, on the scenic Route of Olive Oil and mountains, and has a population of 1,500. The nearby small village of Venta Baja is situated within the municipality of Alcaucin.
Situated on the side of the Sierra Tejera, overlooking the Axarquia region, Periana Corridor and Zafarraya Gap, the village affords spectacular views as far as the coast.
Remains of Neanderthal man were found here, but the first real settlement did not appear here until Moslem times, as proven by the remains of Zalia Castle.
It displays the typical characteristics of the Axarquia villages, with its steep, narrow streets lined with white houses.
HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
The lands of Alcaucín extend over the north of the Axarquia, between the amazing mass of the Tejeda sierra, and the soft relief of the Periana corridor, between the spectacular gorge of the Boquete de Zafarraya and the Axarquia hills. The town, surrounded by pine trees which descend the sides of Tejeda up to its highest side, looks out onto a landscape of olive grove covered hills, vines and small orchards which extend to the end of the valley by Venta Baja, the Puente de Don Manuel and Zalía. From there, by the ruins of the old castle in Zalía, the landscape ascends to the highland in long hilly pastures which are overlooked by the Espino enclave, and emerges into the province of Granada by the Boquete de Zafarraya, between cliffs and cliffheads. But the most prominent conrner of Alcaucín is Alcázar. There, Sierra Tejeda breaks out into deep ravines where the fast flowing water of the highland is swept through to the stream of Alcázar, among pine trees and other shore trees. So much beauty could not be overlooked by the first settlers of the province and in full prehistory, man found shelter in the caves near the Boquete de Zafarraya, where in 1983 remains of the Neanderthal man were found, whom the archaeologists baptized the Zafarrayan man. But it wasn't until the Muslim era that the existence of an important settlement in the area was known. The Arabs took advantage of a fort the Phoenicians built next to the river Zalía and they named the town Al Cautín, which means The Bows. In 1487 it was conquered by the Christians, but the inhabitants who were mainly Moors, took their stand in the revolt of the 16th century. On the 24th of April in 1569, the Moor, Andrés de Xorairán attacked the village, but the rebellion was dourly suffocated by the Christian Armies.
The earthquake of 25 December 1884 particularly affected this village, where in addition to extensive material damage (alteration of subterranean streams, destruction of dwellings and buckling of roads and trails), there was much loss of life. To make the situation worse, there was a heavy snowfall that year that made getting assistance to the village still more difficult.
Places to visit
Surrounded by hills planted with olive groves, vines and pines, Alcaucín presents the typical features of the white villages of the Axarquía. In the middle of the town centre there is a small square in which the church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario stands, built in the 17th century and restored. In the highest part is the cemetery and the hermitage of Jesus del Calvario from the 18th century, from where there is a magnificent panorama of the town and the estates scattered around. There are places of great wild beauty, such as the Farallones del Tajo de la Cueva (1,300m.), the Morón de la Cuña ( 1.222m.), the Loma de las Monjas (850m), and Las Majadas, which used to be sulphurous and ferrous baths.
Shopping
The handicraft is based on vegetable fibre, such as the anea, the esparto grass, wickerwork, and cane furniture can only be found in one existing workshop.
How to Get There
To get to this municipality you should take the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7) in the direction of Vélez Málaga. It is not necessary to go into the central part of that locality since the A-335 turns off the Mediterranean Expressway itself and will take you to the Cruce de Don Manuel turnoff. At that point, you should take the MA-128 road, which leads directly to Alcaucín.
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS
The celebrations which stand out the most are the ones of San Sebastian on the 20th of January, Corpus Christi and Easter with the staging of the "jews", neighbours who dress up with masks and who hound their neighbours during two days. In San Isidro on the 15th of May is the pilgrimage to Alcázar; on the first days of September, the tradition calls farmers to the estates and farmhouses for the Candlemas, bonfires where they burn cereal stubble, wood, and old clothes which light up the nights while they eat and drink wine. In August, there is the annual fair and a flamenco festival, and in October they celebrate the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of the village.
Gastronomy
Apart from the variety of soups and home-made porridge, the genuine local dishes are veal and pork loin with garlic, fish cakes with honey, Easter stew, fritters and oil cakes.
Posted at 02:34 am by pespy10
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