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Most
of the surface of the municipality of Villanueva de Algaidas, which on its
northeast side borders the province of Cordoba,
is free from extremes of terrain; this is gently rolling country with a few
hills interrupting here and there as though to prevent a completely level
horizon. Well into the southern part of the municipality, the terrain becomes
more rugged and rises to heights of around 1,000 metres as in the case of
the Arcas and Pedroso mountains (948 and 1,024 metres, respectively). For
more information about property for
sale in Spain in or near Villanueva de Algaidas please
contact us.
On the highest elevations brush is plentiful and there are still a few remnants of ancient live oak forests, but the rest of the landscape is characterised by extensive olive groves and grain fields and by the numerous farmhouses that add scattered splashes of white to the lands devoted to those crops. It appears that the caves in the El Pedroso mountains were inhabited in prehistoric times, which is to be expected as there were human settlements in this part of Malaga from such ancient times that their ages are hard to calculate. The age of the Los Alcaides necropolis, however, has been computed to be 3,500 years. This is an archaeological site that is, like the caves in the Arcas mountains and in the aforementioned El Pedroso mountains, proof of the passage of prehistoric man through this area.
These antecedents notwithstanding, the origin of the modern village is much more recent, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, to be precise. Before that time the Duke of Osuna, owner of these lands at the time, had authorised the construction of a Franciscan convent adjacent to the Burriana stream. That building is in ruins today but is worth a visit. As occurred in other places around a fortress or castle, here it was the Franciscan convent that attracted several incipient population centres. Over time, they developed the need for governmental organisation that could only be furnished by a municipal government that could arbitrate disputes between these communities scattered around what at the time was called La Rinconá. The first village was located a little more than a kilometre from the modern one, at a place known today as La Atalaya, and other neighbourhoods sprang up adjacent to areas that were favourable for a particular type of crop. La Atalaya, La Rinconá, Zamarra, Albaicín and Parrilla are some of those neighbourhoods that eventually formed the modern village of Villanueva de Algaidas. Its Town Hall was established in 1843 after it was separated from Archidona.
Fiestas
Villanueva de Algaidas’ festival schedule begins on 1 February with
the celebration of the La Candelaria fiesta, which is followed by the carnivals
at the end of that same month. It is traditional to spend the day in the country
with friends and family on the day of San Marcos on 25 April and the day of
the Exaltación de la Cruz (Exaltation of the Cross, 4 May) in honour
of the Virgen de la Consolación. The same is true of the San Isidro
pilgrimage, which is held in the La Atalaya neighbourhood. The August Fair
enjoys the greatest popularity among the villagers. Large numbers of them
attend the various festive events, which conclude with a popular verbena (traditional
street party). The Nuestra Señora del Socorro festivities are celebrated
in September in the La Parrilla neighbourhood.
Food
Just as in the rest of the Antequera
region, Villanueva de Algaidas has its own variety of the famous porra (a
kind of cold soup), the “porra crúa”. Equally typical dishes
include salmorejo and ajoblanco (two other kinds of cold soups) and relleno
de carnaval (“carnival stuffing”, made of grated bread, eggs,
ham, pork and turkey). Desayuno molinero (millworker’s breakfast) is
a specialty in this area and is made of orange juice, coffee and sliced homemade
bread with olive oil, all of these being local products. Piñonate (a
sweet containing pine nuts) is a highly esteemed confectionery item, as are
huesos de santos (rolls made with almond paste) and borrachuelos (a kind of
sponge cake).
How to get there:
Go to the city of Malaga via the Mediterranean
Expressway (A-7; N-340) and there take the A-45 (N-331) expressway towards
Antequera. On the outskirts of that city continue
on the same A-45 to the A-92 and take it in the direction of Archidona.
Shortly before you get to that village turn onto the A-6201, which goes to
Villanueva de Algaidas. All the changes are very well marked all the way from
Malaga and it is hard to go wrong.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Constitución, 16.Telephone: 952 743 002; Fax: 952
743 400.
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