Archez

Interesting facts
Area: 5 sq. kms
Number of inhabitants: 400
Descent: Archeros
Monuments: Minaret tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
Geographical situation: In the valley of the river Sayalonga, at the foothills of the Tejeda and Almijara, 4 kilometres from Corumbela and 21 from Vélez-Málaga
Tourist information:
Town Hall, C/Real, 25. 29753. Phone: 952 553 159 Fax: 952 553 159

Árchez is a small municipality of five square kilometres, and to get there, one follows the Mudéjar Route towards Salares. Another way to reach the town is to take the road through Arenas, by Daimalos (in the municipality of Arenas) and Corumbela (municipality of Sayalonga). Once past Sayalonga, one travels down a slight incline to Árchez, about four kilometres on. Arenas is 11 kilometres from Árchez. The municipality forms a triangle from south to north, in the valley of the river Turvilla, and is surrounded by the peaks of Tetuán (528 metres) and Zorra (542 metres). There is an abundance of water in the region almost all year round. The Sierra Tejeda riverbeds are fed by the river Árchez, which takes the name Algarrobo further on. Numerous tributaries join it along the way, such as the Cortijuelo and the Acequia de Corumbela, increasing its volume in the lower reaches. This makes for an excellent tourist attraction, with many people visiting the area as a result. Walking along the river banks one can see three ancient and abandoned flour mills, known as the mills of Doña Fidela, Reusto and Castrán. The landscape in the area is mostly scrubland, with low trees here and there. There is plenty of wildlife here too, including rabbits, hares, partridges and other bird
Árchez is known as the Joya Merinita (Merinite Jewel) of the 12th century. The earliest settlers here were the Moriscos, and the town probably grew up from the original farmhouse. This explains the narrow streets and the close distribution of the houses. The town¹s centre is small and fairly flat. One sees, walking through the town, that the design of the houses differs from street to street, some with simple roofs and others with terraces, which are of more recent construction. Many of them have their own wells, taking water from the numerous underground streams that flow through the area


Outstanding visits
Plaza Andalucía market
Árchez is a quiet town, but it fills with the sounds of the market-place on Wednesday mornings, when stalls are set up in the Plaza de Andalucía. All types of products, most local, are sold here
Doña Fidela Mill
This mill is worth visiting, especially for lovers of old legends. The Molino de Doña Fidela is situated on the banks of the river Turvilla, right beside the town. It is now abandoned, but the local story goes that soon after Doña Fidela had sold the mill to a neighbour, he had found an earthenware jar under a huge rock in the river that contained a wealth of silver and gold coins
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación dates from the 15th century, and was built in the Mudejar style with a single nave and three side chapels at the top. The ceiling was built in a timber structure. The Christian church was built over an older mosque, the only remaining relic of this being the minaret, a jewel of 14th century Moorish architecture that rises 15 metres over a 3.64 square metres base with a central pillar of 1.07 metres. A vaulted stairway leads to the top. The outside of the minaret is decorated in figurative and geometric designs, with arabesque lines. The colouring on the surface is still well preserved, in tones of red on most of the four facades. It is roofed with tiles in a rhombus shape, with an even smaller roof over this made with interlacing ironwork. The minaret has been restored and was officially declared to be of historical and artistic interest in 1979. Restoration work ended in 1989. There are two well-known bells in the minaret¹s bell-tower, the Nuestra Señora del Pilar and the María de la Encarnación. The latter has an inscription that reads: "I was made by D. Ramón Rivas, being priest D. Ildefonso Tomé y García and mayor D. Antonio García Azuaga. Year 1876"
Dining and wining
Bar Mesón Río Turvilla. Specialising in home cooking, rice, kid and rabbit (reserved in advance). Ample parking. In the middle of beautiful countryside. . Phone: 952 553 145
Mesón Mudéjar. Specialising in kid and lamb with honey in sauce, fries and roasted kid foot. C/Álamo, 6. Phone: 952 553 106
Where to sleep
Posada. Mudéjar. Double rooms. Phone: 952 553 106.
Fiestas and gastronomy
FIESTAS
The festival of the patron saints of the town, San Sebastián and Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, takes place from August 18th to 20th, with a bullfighting festival included. An Andalusian Night is celebrated in May and June. The Holy Week celebrations are very important here, with processions through the narrow and winding streets. The throne of Jesus of Nazareth is the principal one carried aloft, but on Good Friday the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows) and the Soledad is carried out at midnight. Only the women of the town are allowed carry this image, and the images of the Virgen de la Purísima and Virgin of Easter Sunday. In the festival known as the Sanjuaneo, on June 24th, the families of the town and surrounding areas head out to the countryside to bathe themselves in the river as a mark of purification, then collect handfuls of mastrantos, a herbal plant that grows near the water, to perfume their houses
GASTRONOMY
The Árchez cuisine consists mainly of local produce, mostly from the surrounding countryside. One of the most popular dishes is rice with fennel, but also excellent are the fried bread crumbs accompanied by sardines, the garlic soup and the little cod and honey pasties