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This
municipality contains five urban centres between the River Manilva and the
border of the province of Cadiz that originated in
different eras and among which the population is distributed: the actual village
of Manilva, Sabinillas, El Castillo, Hondacavada and El Puerto de la Duquesa,
as well as various housing developments that are in a state of constant and
orderly growth. For more information about property
for sale in Spain in or near Manilva please contact us.
The landscape, far now
from the rugged interior of the province, displays the topographic features
of the nearby Campo de Gibraltar
(Gibraltar area) being a succession of low hills creased by short streams
that empty directly into the sea (Alcorrín, Martagina, Indiano, Estanquillo,
etc). On one of these hills, specifically that of Los Mártires, sits
the village at less than three kilometres from the coast. It is known that
these lands were covered with vineyards at least since the sixteenth century
and they continue to be, but they do not constitute the only crop as there
are also areas devoted to grain, vegetables, fruit trees and pastures. The
last two are more abundant the closer one gets to the River Guadiaro on the
border of the province of Cadiz.
Manilva’s location, very close to the Straits of Gibraltar, has meant
that practically every culture that has passed through the Iberian Peninsular
has also passed through this territory. There is no doubt that since the Neolithic
period there has been uninterrupted human settlement of one sort or another
right up to the present time. There are late Neolithic remains in some caves
in the Utrera mountain range, and at the Cerro del Castillo archaeological
site Bronze Age remains have been found. But here again it was the Romans
who left the most tangible traces of their culture, such as the Roman villa
of Sabinillas, the ruins of what apparently was a tower on the El Hacho hill,
and some ceramics at Haza del Casareño. The sites from the Muslim domination
are found in the interior, rather far from the coast.
Beginning with the sixteenth century the history of Manilva parallels that of Casares, the county to which it belonged at that time. The lack of security in this area of the Mediterranean during that century was a danger to many communities, causing Malaga, Gibraltar and Ronda to ask Carlos V to urge the Duke of Arcos to provide more protection and to set up a town on the coast. In 1528 Carlos V ordered the construction of a tower at El Salto de la Mora, and shortly afterwards half a hundred residents of Casares set up residence on the Los Mártires hill. These would be the first settlers of the original Manilva, which would continue to be subordinate to Casares until 1796, the year it achieved its independence.
Fiestas
The carnival in late February draws many local residents who participate in
the “chirigotas” and “comparsas” (street performance
groups), whose “scripts” generally consist of a sarcastic take
off on the most notable events of the season. As in other Andalusian villages,
Semana Santa (Holy Week) has a special religious meaning in Manilva that is
not incompatible with some customs of a purely entertainment nature. On the
night of San Juan –the ages-old “night of fire”- the Manilveños
proceed to burn the “Júas” (Judas) and to splash seawater
in their faces as a way of warding off evils. On 27 July the village overflows
with the crowded Virgen de Fátima (Virgin of Fatima) pilgrimage that
is held at the San Adolfo hermitage adjoining Baños de la Hedionda.
Each year on 16 July the
maritime communities of San Luis de Sabinillas and El Castillo de la Duquesa
stage the procession of the Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of Carmen, the patron
saint of seafarers). In both places the image of the Virgin goes to sea followed
by a line of decorated craft that sound their foghorns in honour of the patron
saint.
On 26 July, the day of the local patron saint Santa Ana, villagers and tourists
take part in the events that are organised by the Town Hall. A float parade,
verbenas and other spectacles follow one behind the other until the wee hours
of the morning. The neighbourhood of Sabinillas also celebrates its patron
saint, San Luis de Sabinillas, with the August fair, which uses the sea as
the best drawing card for attracting huge crowds of visitors. Sports competitions,
music and dance enliven the festive day.
One of the most important fiestas in Manilva is that of La Vendimia (grape harvest) in the first week of September coinciding with the end of the grape harvest. The village renders tribute in this way to the product that for so many years was, and continues to be, the mainstay of the economy. One of the most traditional events is the grape trampling. This produces the first grape juice, a sample of which is given to all present.
Food
Sea products outrank the products of the soil in a fishing community
such as this, although in this case second choice is by no means second-rate.
Besugo (sea bream), salmonete (red mullet), mero (sea bass) and bonito, prepared
in different ways, are the dishes most frequently encountered in this village’s
gastronomy, but sardinas al horno (baked sardines) win the culinary prize.
Sopa de espárragos and sopa de tomate (asparagus and tomato soup, respectively)
and, needless to say, sopa de almejas (clam chowder) and potaje de jibia (cuttlefish
stew, again the sea in a kettle), and potaje de calabaza, potaje de espinacas
and potaje de acelgas (respectively, squash, spinach and chard stews), along
with salmorejo de pulpo (an octopus dish) expand the culinary offer of this
area. And you must not leave without trying the muscatel grapes and the fresh
wine.
How to get there:
From any point on the Costa del Sol, take the Mediterranean expressway
towards Cadiz. Beginning at Estepona
there are two options: either continue on the aforementioned AP-7 expressway,
or else get onto the old coastal highway N-340. In either case, the signs
for Manilva will leave no doubt, but you must take the A-377. The village
is very close to the coast and halfway between the two aforementioned routes.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Calle Mar, 34 (29691). Telephone: 952 890 065; Fax: 952
890 066. Tourist Office: Carretera Sabinillas-Manilva, Kilometre 0m50. Telephone:
952 890 845; Fax: 952 890 845.
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