Canillas de Aceituno

Area: 42 sq. kms
Number of inhabitants: 2,762
Descent: Canilleros
Monuments: Town Hall, Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Casa de los Diezmos
Geographical situation: In the Sierra de Tejeda mountain range between Sedella and Viñuela, 17 kilometres from Vélez Málaga
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza Constitución, 1. 29716. Phone: 952 518 002 Fax:

The easiest way to get to Canillas de Aceituno is via Vélez-Málaga, taking first the C-335 country road and then the MA-125 local one. From the start of the latter the way climbs up to 645 metres above sea level, the height of the village itself. The village is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Tejeda and this position gives it one of the very best views in the whole of the Axarquía, all the way from Boquete de Zafarraya, at the boundary with the province of Granada, to the coast. The municipal district of Canillas de Aceituno is surrounded by mountain peaks - Maroma (2,068 metres - the highest one in the whole of the province of Malaga, Fuerte (1,490 metres) and Rompealbaldas (770 metres). The village is 18 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and just 7.8 from the next-door village of Sedella. There are magnificent views of the Vélez and Rubite valleys from the road linking the two villages, with olive, almond and fig trees and vines growing beside it, all defying gravity and forming a unique landscape. The special plots for drying grapes are also found here. The municipality is quite wooded, the trees being watered by a large number of local rivers, such as the Amánchares, the Bermuza and the Rubite, with natural springs, such as the Gazuela and the Yedra. The area around Canillas village is replete with natural caves, the main one being the Fájara, four kilometres away, with tunnels as long as half a kilometre in length. Keep going along the MA-125 and you will soon realise that it divides the village into two parts, the road itself being the only part of the village that is flat. Once in the village, look for Calle del Convento and Calle Sierrecilla. You will get a panoramic view of the area from here and be able to pick out the Moorish legacy clearly in the layout of the streets. The Town Hall is situated in the Plaza de la Constitución, the only open space in the village
Casa de los Diezmos Another important building is the Casa de la Reina Mora (the Moorish Queen's House) with its arches and whitewashed brick. It is also known as the Mudéjar Tower and the Casa de los Diezmos (the House of the Tenth Part). It was in this Mudéjar building that the production and sale of mulberry leaves and silk worms was controlled for the whole area. There are two fountains in the village, both of which are fed from an Arabic water reservoir under the Town Hall. Another of the interesting streets in the village is Calle Castillo, where remains of the Arabic fortress are to be found. The street known as Calle Cementerio is in fact built over the old Arabic cemetery, from which it gets its name. The origin of the name of Canillas del Aceituno is Canillas de Azzeitun, which means olive groves. It was not until 1569, a decisive date in the Moorish uprisings of those days, that the village was named as a significant settlement on the Marqués de Comares estate. The outstanding event in this period was a raid on the Pedro Mellado country inn, led by Andrés el Xorairán, who was born in next-door Sedella. This attack caused the wrath of the local keepers of justice, who captured and tortured eight Moors living under Christian rule, picked arbitrarily, among them the Mayor of Canillas himself. As a punishment Canillas was destroyed and left uninhabited and its castle was razed to the ground by order of Philip II in 1571


Outstanding visits
Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario
The church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and St Leon Magnus, is in the upper part of the village. The terrace of this sixteenth century building, on the site of a former mosque, is another good place from which to gaze at the panoramic view. The tower is rectangular at the base but octagonal higher up as are many church towers in the Axarquía area. Inside there are two eighteenth century baroque chapels. The image of the "Virgen de la Cabeza", an oil painting from the end of the seventeenth century and three medium sized statues - an eighteenth century St Anthony, a St Francis from the beginning of the eighteenth century and another St Anthony - are all on display inside the the building
Trekking
Canillas de Aceituno is the perfect municipality for rambling as the village is surrounded by beautiful woods. Being situated in the heart of the mountain ranges, it is an excellent place to practice mountain biking and other activities like orienteering. Various routes lead to local beauty spots, among the areas known as La Fájara, Los Tajos Lisos, La Rábita and La Rahije. The Fájara spring, which bubbles out inside the cave of the same name, is of particular interest, being a spring that feeds the River Bermuza all year round. Take care in the cave as the water level can rise unexpectedly. For the more ambitious there is a somewhat difficult path leading up to the top of La Maroma. However, the fabulous view of the provinces of Malaga and Granada from the top make it worth the effort