Alfarnatejo

Interesting facts
Area: 20 sq. kms
Number of inhabitants: Approx. 500
Descent: Alfarnatejones
Monuments: Parish church of Santo Cristo de Cabrilla, Sabar River gorge, Gómer cliffs
Geographical situation: In the northern part of the Axarquía, 50 kms from Malaga, at 858 metres above sea level
Tourist information:
Town Hall, C/Pósito, 2. 29194. Phone: 952 759 286 Fax: 952 759 360

Alfarnatejo is a beautiful little place in the northern part of the Axarquía, 36.5 kms from Vélez. Being so high above sea level, there it is a wonderful contrast in this area between the stone and the humid vegetation, and the place has earned itself the name of ³The Pyrenees of the South². Surrounding the town are peaks reaching to more than a thousand metres, such as the Pico del Chamizo to the west, at 1,637 metres high; the Pico del Gallo to the east at 1,556 metres or the Vilo peak at 1,412 metres. This is a unique area of Malaga province, with its mountain terrain and its distance from the capital making it an ideal hide-away for bandits in the end of the 19th century
The urban centre, where only 500 people live, makes for an agreeable and tranquil life-style, where all the streets are of some interest to visitors. The most interesting building in the town, nevertheless, is the parish church of Santo Cristo de la Cabrilla. Around the town we also have the most spectacular cliffs of the province, those of Gómer, Doña Ana and Alto del Fraile. The road from Colmenar to Alfarnatejo - the regional 340 - offers a wide range of colour in its oak, cereal and olive trees. We can also see from here, high in the mountains that extend to the Sierra de Tejeda, small white farmhouses in the distance. The history of the area goes back a very long way, to prehistoric times. A number of Neolithic remains have been found in the River Sabar gorge, and to the south, in the 1,129 metre-high Gómer cliffs, domestic objects in use - according to the archaeologists - some 5,000 years ago have been discovered. The evolution of the town has always been linked to that of its close neighbour, Alfarnate, from which it separated in the 18th century. The original town was probably a farmhouse that grew into an urban centre in Moorish times, beside the Sabar castle whose ruins are still evident on the peak of the Alto del Fraile


Outstanding visits
The Route of the Cliffs
Of the cliff landscape in this area, the Tajo de Gómer is the most spectacular, and here in the mountains one can see the eagles and hawks that inhabit the region. As we travel along the road mentioned above, the cliffs take on differing and exciting shapes. Arriving at the Venta de Alfarnate we turn right in the direction of the town, with the route following the course of the Sabar river to the right, the town itself being on the left. The river tumbles through canyons on its way past the olive and oak groves, making for a really beautiful sight. The Tajo de Doña Ana is right beside the river, almost cutting its course, and looks like a monstrous sentinel on the horizon. It is an enormous piece of rock, warm coloured and almost vertical, reaching to 1,118 metres in height. The road widens to allow us to park, and from here we can view the cliffs at leisure
Other monuments and archeological remains
The parish church of Santo Cristo de Cabrilla stands out from the other buildings in the town. It was built in the 18th century in a simple rectangular structure traditional to the period, with two naves separated by semicircular arches. The square tower was built of fired bricks in the Mudejar style. The most important of the archeological remains around Alfarnatejo are to be found outside the town near the Tajo de Gómar, these being the ruins of the old Moorish castle. Important Neolithic remains have also been discovered in the River Sabar gorge, dating back some 5,000 years. Also worth a visit are the Pela Horá, Chamizo and Morronquera caves in the Tajos de Vilo, or the Palaeolithic drawings in the Cortijo de la Cueva
Dining and wining