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This
municipality’s terrain is so rugged that it seems to positively abhor
level land, being an endless succession of ravines and hills. Due to their
proximity to the sea, the hills do not rise to great altitudes. Their highest
points such as La Rábita de Torrox and the Cocoja, which abound in
low brush, are not more than 700 metres high. For more information about
property for sale in Spain in or near Torrox please contact us.
The Torrox stream, which the villagers also call Patalamara, La Plata or Argentino, crosses the municipality from north to south and its waters are used to the full for irrigation before they empty into the sea at Punta de Torrox. The municipality has nine kilometres of sandy beaches along which lie the population centres of Torrox Costa and El Morche. This municipality is an eminently agricultural landscape, but due to the extremely uneven terrain, there has been no alternative but to terrace the hills to make use of the land and make it cultivable. Thus, terraces are the most noticeable feature of an area where subtropical fruits have found a perfect home.
A polished axe from the Neolithic period has been found at the hamlet of Los Casarones, some two kilometres north of the village, proving that there were already human settlements in this area at that time. It probably was also colonised by Punics or Phoenicians, considering the proximity of the Trayamar and Mezquitilla archaeological sites in Algarrobo Costa. This continues to be just a hypothesis, however, since so far no remains have been found to prove it. There is no room for doubt, however, of the strong Roman presence in the area known as Faro or Punta de Torero. Substantial remains have been found there of the city of Caviclum, which was founded in the first century and remained active at least until the eighth century. It was around the middle of that century that Omeya Abderramán established himself in Torrox after landing at Almuñécar, and he would shortly afterwards establish the independent Caliphate of Cordoba.
Some historians identify Torrox as Hisn Turrus, where in the year 914 troops under Abderramán III defeated those of Omar Ibn Hafsun, the Muladí rebel who had set out to topple the Caliphate of Cordoba. After this event, Torrox came under the jurisdiction of Frigiliana. It is known that throughout the long Muslim domination the village was an important silk producer, which is why its irrigated lowlands were devoted to raising mulberry trees. The fall of Vélez to the Christian troops in 1487 had such an effect on the region that many other localities surrendered without a fight in order to prevent greater problems. Torrox did so on 29 April 1487, just two days after the taking of Vélez. Very shortly afterwards, however, the chieftain El Zagal recaptured the village for the Muslims, in whose hands it would remain only a few months before passing again into the control of the Christian.
When the Morisco rebellion broke out in 1568, half the population was made up of Old Christians and the other half of Moriscos. Many of the latter took part in the El Peñón de Frigiliana insurrection. By the year 1571 at least 22 Moriscos from Torrox had been prosecuted by the Tribunal del Santo Oficio (Holy Office Tribunal) of Granada. It is documented that the members of the Quilat family were burned at the stake, accused of professing the Mohammedan religion. The significant participation by the Moriscos of this area in the uprising resulted in stern repression that caused the abandonment of the eight Arabic settlements that made up the municipal territory: Alhandiga, Almeida, Arcos Benamayor, Cajauja, Lautín, Lugarejo and Periana (a different locality from the modern one).
During the eighteenth century the local economy was based on sugar cane production, to which more than 80 per cent of the arable land in the municipality was devoted, and there were two sugar mills. The El Faro de Torrox ruins were discovered in 1773, at which time the municipal population was about 3,000. Torrox entered the nineteenth century with an epidemic of yellow fever in 1804 that decimated the population. A few years later it suffered the occupation by the Napoleonic troops, who in 1812 “bade farewell” to the village by blowing up the castle. Nevertheless, the municipality was experiencing unusual prosperity in the middle of the century. At that time it had two olive oil mills, two potteries, three flour mills, a brandy distillery and the sugar mill that belonged to the Larios family.
Fiestas
The Feria de Octubre (October Fair, from 4 to 8 of that month) begins with
a street march by the students of the Academia Municipal de Música
(Municipal Musical Academy), followed by a parade of “gigantes y cabezudos”
(giant grotesque large-headed figures) and that night the lights are turned
on at the fairgrounds. There are musical performances and numerous sporting
activities. The most moving event of the fiesta, however, is the transfer
of the patron saints, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the
Snows) and San Roque, from the parish church to the hermitage of the Señora,
a journey that is made to the accompaniment of a prolonged display of fireworks.
The neighbourhood of El Morche celebrates its big day on 15 August in honour
of the Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of Mount Carmel). The date of the fiesta
was changed from 16 July, the day of that Virgin, to August merely for the
sake of tourism. There is a fishing competition, musical performances and,
needless to say, the marine procession of the Virgin. The carnival fiesta
has made a strong comeback and at the present time is one of the best-attended
fiestas in Torrox. The engaging and highly competitive competitions of “murgas”
and “comparsas” (types of street performance groups) are avidly
followed by the Torroxeños, who also identify with the parades that
these groups stage on the village streets.
The “Crosses” are celebrated in May, and in Torrox there is the unusual feature that they are made with flowerpots instead of with flowers only. By way of adornment the most varied items imaginable are placed on the obligatory staired altars, prominent among which are shawls and lace handkerchiefs. The altars by preference are placed in courtyards inside houses, and fiestas are organised around them in which the gastronomic element predominates. The eve of the day of San Juan (23 June) has special meaning in Torrox, where the traditional burning of the “Júas” (Judases) combines with the tradition of leaping over bonfires and a series of rituals in which water plays a fundamental role, but that are nearly always focused on finding out if amorous relations are going to have a happy ending or not.
On the Sunday before Christmas Torrox finds itself literally invaded by thousands of outsiders who come to the village to celebrate the Día de las Migas (Migas day; migas are a dish made from fried bread crumbs), which is without a doubt the village’s fiesta par excellence. Street marches, verdiales (a traditional kind of Malaga music), fandangos and many other folk events serve as the backdrop for the frenetic activity of the villagers as they prepare their famous and delicious migas, which are eaten with true enjoyment by the thousands of attendees at this great fiesta in which the Torroxeños demonstrate their limitless hospitality.
Food
Obviously migas are the most popular and characteristic dish in this
village. Its ingredients are as simple as they are basic: flour, garlic, olive
oil, cracklings, bacon, and the preparer’s know-how. From such simplicity
comes a truly exquisite dish that is accompanied by the no less famous ensalada
arriera (a salad made of codfish, olives, onions, tart oranges and olive oil).
Potaje de Nochebuena (a kind of bean pottage) is very traditional for Christmas,
and sopa de maimones (a soup made from bread and olive oil) and guiso de calabazas
(stewed squash) are eaten at any time of the year. Gazpacho and ajoblanco
(cold soups) are customary in summer, and espetos (grilled sardines) are traditional
on the coast. Confectionery items that should be mentioned include arropía,
a caramel of Arabic origin made with boiled honey. On the day of San Juan
hornazos (a kind of pastry containing a boiled egg) and roscos (a kind of
spiral pastry) at Christmas complete the menu of typical Torrox confectionery.
How to get there:
The turning for Torrox is clearly marked on the Mediterranean Expressway
(A-7 or N-340) on the stretch between Velez Malaga
and Nerja, and that road will lead straight to there
with no further changes.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1 (29770). Telephone:
952 538 200; Fax: 952 538 100. Office of Tourism: Centro Internacional, Bloque
769 Bajo (29793). Telephone: 952 532 155; Fax: 953 530 225.
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