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The
traveller’s first impression as he approaches this village is that he
is entering an enormous, well-planned and well-tended orchard where the citrus
trees-oranges and lemons-join their perennial greenery to that of the subtropical
fruits that have been more recently introduced in the region. The terraces
of these crops climb to the nearest hills, which are devoid of vegetation
on their highest levels. For more information about property
for sale in Spain in or near Benamargosa please contact us.
The locality borders the river of the same name, Benamargosa. This stream is called the River La Cueva from its source to the village and a few kilometres downstream empties into the River Vélez after shaping a narrow valley that is the dominant feature of the area’s terrain.
Since there is absolutely no documentation on which to depend in outlining the history of this village before the arrival of the Arabs, one must start with the fact that the thirteenth century Muslim botanist Ibn Beithar was the first to introduce citrus cultivation in this region. As to the name of the village, it is accepted that it derives from Ben Ha-Maruxa, but this is more a deduction than a certainty.
The village’s name begins to appear in some chronicles in the late fifteenth century. From them we learn that in that era the locality, like many other farm communities, belonged to the royal burgh of Comares, and also that its inhabitants at first did not take part in the Moorish uprising but would eventually join the revolt in 1569, with the result that in the following year they were driven from their lands, leaving them virtually uninhabited. Its later development was thus directly subordinated to Velez Malaga.
In 1810 the mayor of the royal burgh, like
that of a number of other mayors, was obliged to sign an oath of allegiance
to José Napoleón I, King of Spain. The appearance of the phylloxera
pest sapped the economy of the village to the point that many of its residents
had to leave for other areas in search of a better life.
Fiestas
As is the case with nearly all the localities, Benamargosa waits until August,
in this case the first week of the month, to hold its fair. The patron saint
fiestas occur on 20 January, the day of San Sebastián. On that date
the saint’s stewards open up their houses to welcome friends and relatives
and to celebrate with food and drink the day dedicated to the patron saint.
In August an interesting cultural week and a renowned flamenco festival are
also held.
This village takes advantage of Corpus Christi to profusely decorate its streets
and balconies and to erect street altars to serve as stations for the Santísimo
Sacramento (Holy Sacrament). Its Semana Santa (Holy Week) is notable for Good
Friday when the brotherhood of Dolores y Jesús Nazareno takes to the
streets, and is witnessed in absolute silence by the villagers.
Food
The introduction of subtropical products to the region has so altered
the local cuisine that nowadays this village’s most popular dish is
batido de aguacate (avocado shake), but this has not detracted from the importance
of other more traditional dishes such as sopa de tomate (tomato soup), ajoblanco,
gazpachuelo and gazpacho (cold soups). As for confectionery products, torta
de pan (a pastry made from grated bread and cheese) is the proper conclusion
to a good meal in these parts.
How to get there:
To get to Benamargosa, take the A-335 in the direction of Velez-Malaga
from the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7, N-340). About 5 kilometres past that
locality the turning will be marked for the MA-145, which leads straight to
Benamargosa.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza del Ayuntamiento (29718). Telephone: 952 517 002; Fax: 952
517 271.
Property for sale Benamargosa
Property Benamargosa
Benamargosa
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