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The
municipal territory of Rincon de la Victoria is bordered by the Totalan
stream on the west and by that of San Millán on the east, and there
are two other streams, the Granadillas and Benagalbón; all of these
have only seasonal flow. Moving inland from the coastal strip, there are numerous
elongated hills on which olive, almond, and carob trees and vineyards predominate
in a landscape that is typical of La Axarquía but without great elevations,
the highest peak being the Salazar hill at 512 metres. For more information
about property for sale in Spain
in or near Rincon de la Victoria please contact us.
This municipality is made up of several population centres: Benagalbón, five kilometres into the interior; La Cala; Torre de Benagalbón; Aguirre; Los Millares and several others with less population. In the last 20 years, practically all of these communities, especially Rincon de la Victoria and La Cala, have experienced spectacular growth due mainly to their proximity to the city of Malaga and to improvements in their transportation links. What were originally second homes for many residents of the capital have thus become their main residences. This does not make Rincon de la Victoria just an extension of Malaga, although its proximity is an advantage. It has a life of its own and also very dynamic tourism and commerce.
This was one of the first territories in the province of Malaga to be settled by humans, at least judging by the data that is available to date, and is one of the best documented in La Axarquía due to the Paleolithic paintings and fossil remains that have been found at the El Tesoro cave and the no less interesting Bronze Age relics found at the La Victoria cave. It is known that around the year 550 B. C. a Punic-Phoenician settlement was established on the Loma de Benagalbón (Hill of Benagalbón), and later the Romans also established themselves in this area as is shown by the mosaics and ruins of bathhouses discovered here. This tends to corroborate the description of the historian Pliny in the first century, who took note of the existence of a fortress built as a defence against possible invasions from the sea. It is more than probable that around this fortress the Arabs founded what is today Rincón de la Victoria and called it Bezmiliana, which would have been the name given to it by the Romans with some variation by the Arabs.
According to the description of the eleventh century Muslim El Idrissi, ancient Bezmiliana (Bizilyana), of which practically nothing remains today, had a fishing port, a medina (central village district), a mosque and a wall protecting the town. The scant remains of the town are still visible in the area known as El Castellón, on the Benagalbón road. According to some Christian accounts, it seems that the inhabitants of these districts abandoned the place ahead of the advancing Christian troops, since when they were en route to Malaga from Velez-Malaga they found the village depopulated. Towards the end of the fifteenth century or the beginning of the sixteenth, some 120 persons arrived in this area with the objective of repopulating it, but these new villagers also abandoned the area even before the Moorish rebellion of 1569. According to some historians, this was due to a plague epidemic, to which might be added the bad relations with the Moorish population, constantly more oppressed by the Christians, and the continual invasions from the sea.
Construction was begun in 1776 near the ruins of Bezmiliana on the Bezmiliana fortress or castle that was intended to defend this entire section of the coast, in this case from the English. Under the shelter of this huge project small structures began to spring up that would shortly form a population centre, whose inhabitants devoted themselves to fishing. It would be considered a sub-district of Benagalbón, the community that would continue to be the municipality’s nucleus of population until 1906 when the population of Rincón de la Victoria was much greater than that of Benagalbón. Nevertheless, it was not until 1950 that the Town Hall was officially located in Rincón de la Victoria. The origin of the name is that the territory occupied by the village belonged to the La Victoria convent.
Fiestas
Rincón de la Victoria’s ancestral maritime tradition is especially
concentrated on one date, 16 July, the day of the Virgen del Carmen. On this
date, her image is borne in a procession from the church to the waterline
amid the most animated manifestations of fervour that the Rinconeros are capable
of. Once on the beach, the statue is placed on a boat on which it makes its
marine pilgrimage, as required by established tradition in almost all coastal
communities in Andalusia. In the case of this village, however, it takes on
very special significance. The Fair is scheduled to coincide with this date
that is so important to this locality, and among other activities should be
mentioned the competition of “verdiales” (traditional Málaga
songs), the antique car show, the “jábega” regatta (these
are extremely ancient Mediterranean craft that have remained unchanged down
through the centuries), verbenas (traditional street parties), sports competitions,
pasacalles (another type of traditional street celebration), musical performances
and fireworks.
The Las Cruces (The Crosses) fiesta in May
has taken on new life in recent years. Just as decades ago altars are again
seen that are decorated in a thousand and one ways, with crosses made of flowers
being very common, as are Manila shawls, antique fans, luxurious quilts, flowerpots
and the odd domestic accessory of some value. Corpus Christi is celebrated
with a display that is similar as far as decoration is concerned.
In La Cala, a sub-district of Rincón de la Victoria, the Fair takes
place on the first weekend in July, when all kinds of festive activities intended
to entertain young and old alike abound. Especially important, however, are
the jábega regatta and the events featuring verdiales musical groups.
Benagalbón celebrates its patron saint fiestas in honour of the Virgen
de la Candelaria on the weekend closest to 2 February. Just as everywhere
else in this area, the presence of verdiales groups is indispensable here,
as are the customary fair events. The most distinctive thing about these festivities,
however, is the procession of the Virgin through the streets of this community,
where the tradition is to toss hazelnuts and candied almonds onto the mantel
of the patron saint. When these hit the ground, they cause a riot among the
youngsters, who are determined to leave not a single one on the asphalt.
Torre de Benagalbón concentrates its festivities on the day of San
Juan on 24 June, on the eve of which the “júas” (Judases)
are burned. There are beach parties, people leap over the embers of the bonfires
and the most determined bathe in the sea to comply with the ritual of purification
by water and fire. Verdiales, a Rocío mass, sports competitions, verbenas
and other events complete the programme of this community’s summer fiestas.
Food
The king of Rincon de la Victoria cuisine is “pescaíto”
(small fried fish), and within this generic classification should be included
espetos de sardinas (sardines grilled on a spit) and special mention should
be made of the famous “boquerones vitorianos” (Victoria-style
anchovies, the “c” is dropped in the customary pronunciation).
Prominent among the so-called spoon foods are potaje caleño or “cascote”
(a stew made with chickpeas and rice), ajoblanco (a cold soup), cazuela de
fideos (pasta casserole) and sopa de rape (anglerfish soup), in which only
the head of this fish is used.
How to get there:
Due to its coastal location, the only route to Rincón de la
Victoria is the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340). When it gets to the
village it splits into two branches but either can be used. If you are coming
from the Western Costa del Sol you should go towards Motril-Almería,
and if coming from the Eastern Costa del Sol you should go towards Malaga
- Cadiz.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza Al-Andalus, 1 (29730). Telephone: 952 402 300; Fax:
952 402 900.
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