Benamargosa

Benamargosa

Facade of the Town Hall
Church of the Encarnación

Interesting facts
Area: 12.10 sq. kms
Number of inhabitants: 1,600
Descent: Benamargoseños
Monuments: Church of La Encarnación
Geographical situation: In the Axarquía, 11 kilometres from Vélez and 46 from Malaga
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza Ayuntamiento s/n. 29718. Phone: 952 517 002 Fax: 952 517 271

To reach Benamargosa from Malaga one takes the Autovía towards Vélez and turns off for Macharaviaya, the fairly flat road from here bringing us to Benamargosa. The municipality is only 90 metres above sea level, situated in the valley of the river Benamargosa, which is known as The Cave from its source to its arrival in the town. Benamargosa is also watered by the streams named the Carvajal and the Cútar, with the Marín gully leading into the town too. The layout of the streets and houses still maintains its old charm, with narrow, winding streets and low houses whitewashed and decorated with flowers. A stroll through the centre of the town is a must for any visitor, and the most interesting streets are calles Bonita, Algarrobo and Real. If we head up to the Barrio del Calvario, we are awarded with a beautiful view of the entire village
Not much is known about the origins of the town, although its Arabic name - Ber-Ha-Maruxa - tells us that it was certainly there in Moorish times. In more recent times the town has been known as Gibraltar Chico, or Little Gibraltar. During the Spanish Civil War, we are informed by the older people of the town, the main commercial activity of the place was tobacco smuggling. The townspeople would have the tobacco leaves brought from the Granada fields and would make their own cigarettes, exporting their excess produce to Malaga and other Andalusian provinces. In our own day the main business of the area is agriculture, with different crops growing in different areas of the municipality. Raisins, almonds and olives are grown in the northern, more mountainous part, while the more fertile and better irrigated southern part is rich in citric fruits, avocado pears and tropical fruits. This area was the first in the entire region to experiment with tropical fruits, in fact, and now there is quite a large area in which mangos and kiwi fruit is grown


Outstanding visits
Church of Nuestra Señora de La Encarnación
The church is in the lower part of the town, and is also the oldest and most important building there. It dates from the 16th century, built over an old mosque in three naves, each 28 metres long. These are separated by pointed arches on pillars. The chapel was built in the 17th century, along with the small room of Jesus of Nazareth, and the epistle ceiling is finished in rococo yellow. The door is made of brick with a semicircular arch on pillars. There is a crypt under the floor and a cemetery that dates from when the church was first built
The Cemetery Hermitage
The chapel in the cemetery of Benamargosa is a simple building from the year 1840, when Doña María de Santiago ordered its construction as a burial place for her and her husband
Famous personalities
Among the most famous people of the town was the "Cura Pinto", who gained a place in the history books on the War of Independence against the French by providing Captain Moreno with sufficient funds to hold out against the invaders for two years. Another well-known Benamargosa personality was the singer "El Niño de Vélez", born in the town in 1906 and dying in Vélez 69 years later. He was best-known for his interpretation of the Malaga style of flamenco singing, and his name featured in lights in theatres in Madrid, Barcelona and many other places