Click
here to request info about property for sale in Montejaque
Spain.
The
municipality of Montejaque stretches between the valley of the River Guadiaro
and the Líbar mountain range, and part of its territory is within the
Grazalema Natural Park. Because of its location on the border between these
two areas, the municipality is blessed with an extremely interesting wealth
of scenery, which is enhanced by a rugged terrain notable for the peaks of
Peñón de Mures (865 metros), Cerro Tavizna (899 metros) and
El Hacho (1,065 metros). For more information about property
for sale in Spain in or near Montejaque please contact us.
It is surprising to learn that only two kilometres from the village, which sits amid the rock formations of the Montalate and Juan Diego mountain ranges, the country unexpectedly opens up and broad plains with grazing cattle appear. This is a zone that contrasts radically with all others in the municipality, which is otherwise characterised by extremely uneven terrain. The village is sheltered by imposing rock formations and is composed of two well-differentiated areas: the lower part, with straight streets, and the upper, which is of Arabic origin and thus has steep and winding streets. The name if the place is also Arabic and is usually translated as “Lost Mountain”. There is no record of settlements before the arrival of the Arabs, who apparently built a castle that dominated part of the Highlands. Beginning with the Christian conquest and the surrender of Montejaque and Benaoján to the Count of Benavente, both villages ceased to be considered sub-districts of Ronda.
During the Moorish uprising circumstances in Montejaque were quite unusual in that its mayor, the Morisco Mamad Idriz, was the victim of more than one attack for openly collaborating with the Christians. This course of action did not turn out badly for him since, with the Moorish population driven out, he was compensated with lands and even a lifetime pension. Chronicles state that in the early nineteenth century, during the War of Independence, a famous guerrilla named José de Aguilar confronted the Napoleonic troops on 20 October 1810 at the River Gaduares bridge. José Aguilar commanded a troop of some 250 men from several more or less nearby villages (Benaojan, Atajate, Montejaque, Cortes and Jimera de Líbar) that defeated 600 French soldiers and 90 cavalrymen.
Fiestas
The Virgen de la Concepción (Virgin of the Conception) fiestas take
place from 15 to 17 May and also from 13 to 16 August, which is when the celebration
has the most drawing power. There are competitions, verbenas (traditional
street parties), musical performances (including flamenco) and the procession
of the Virgin. The unusual “juego del cántaro” (pitcher
game) is held during the carnival. This consists of hurling a pitcher from
one person to another in ever-widening circles, with the likelihood of the
pitcher falling to the ground constantly increasing.
Food
This municipality’s most traditional dish is guiso de patatas
(stewed potatoes) seasoned with a piece of every part of the pig, but other
items on the characteristic recipe list of the area are puchero de garbanzos
(chickpea soup), calabaza (squash), chícharos or guisantes (peas),
alcachofas (artichokes), tocino (bacon), morcilla (black pudding) and carne
de chivo (kid). Molletes (flat bread rolls baked with olive oil) and homemade
marmalade are indispensable to any Montejaqueña-style breakfast. The
local Mosto wine is highly prized for its distinctive flavour.
How to get there:
Leave Ronda via the A-376, and after travelling
4.5 kilometres take the MA-555 to Benaojan, and
from there take the MA-506 to Montejaque. Another option is to leave Ronda
by the A-376 and continue on that road about 12 kilometres before taking the
MA-505 turning, which leads straight to Montejaque without passing through
Benaojan.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 4 (29630). Telephone:
952 167 196; Fax: 952 167 351.
Error! The codelock file is missing...