Vélez Málaga
Interesting facts
Area: 156,40
Number of inhabitants: 53.000
Descent: Veleños
Monuments: Church of Santa María la Mayor, Church of San Juan Bautista and Convent of San Francisco.
Geographical situation: It is the biggest municipality of the Axarquía, 50 kilometres from Malaga.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza Carmelitas, s/n. 29700. Phone: 952 559 100
Tourist information, Avda. Andalucía. Phone: 952 541 104

The best way to get to Vélez-Málaga by road is by taking the Autovía del Mediterráneo in the Motril direction and turning off as signposted. But it is also possible to reach this huge municipality by sea and by air. La Caleta de Vélez has a large fishing port with a section for pleasure craft, while the Royal Malaga Aeroclub uses an airfield at El Trapiche. Vélez's climate is mild all year round, with an average of 23 ºC in winter and 26 ºC in the summer months. This has attracted people from many parts who have come to settle here. Since it covers such a huge surface area, 156.40 square kilometres, the municipality is dotted with towns and villages.

The largest of these is the town of Vélez-Málaga itself, just a few kilometres inland, while the resort of Torre del Mar is on the coast, as is the port of La Caleta de Vélez. All three are well linked by road: the Autovía del Mediterráneo, the various older roads and the Avenida Rey Juan Carlos I, which links the town centre with Torre del Mar. There are various explanations as to why the main town, Vélez-Málaga, is not on the coast, as is usual with municipalities which reach down to the seashore. (Mijas is another exception.)

 One of these explanations refers to an earthquake in the year 365. The huge waves caused by seismic movement devastated the only settlement on the coast. Remains of this town are to be found at the Phoenician archaeological site of Los Toscanos and in the surrounding area. After this catastrophe it was decided to build a town on the hill where the fortress currently stands.
Another explanation, rather less scientific and more legendary, tells the story of a shepherd who found an image of the Virgin Mary in the countryside. He liked it so much that he decided to take it home for his daughter but lost it on the way. The next day it was back in the same place where he had found it and again he picked it up and tried to take it home. Again he failed. The story spread like wildfire and all the local people began to think that it was a miracle, erecting the present shrine at the spot where the image had been found.

 The countryside around Vélez-Málaga is scattered with small market gardens and orchards, with an increasing number of tropical fruit trees as they grow well in the micro-climate created by the Sierras of the Tejeda, Alhama and Almijara Nature Park. There are remains of several settlements in the municipality, such as the Mozarab Eremitic Complex at Valle-Niza, the Phoenician remains at Los Toscanos and the Cerro Mar y Jardín burial grounds, some of which go back to pre-historic times. The architectural gems in the town earned it the title of historical-artistic complex in the 1970s.


Outstanding visits

Religious architecture
One of the most important ecclesiastical buildings is the sixteenth century parish church of Santa María La Mayor, (Great St. Mary's), built on the site of an ancient mosque. It was around this church that the old town began to grow up. The tower is worth noting for its square shape. It is made of manufactured brick, making use of the previous Arabic minaret. The sixteenth century church of San Juan (St. John) is decorated in rococo style inside. The town also houses several convents. There is the convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, founded in 1503, and belonging to the order of the Clarissa nuns; the convent of San Francisco, the seventeenth century Carmelite convent, containing a variety of valuable works of art; and the seventeenth century San José de la Soledad convent. There are also a large number of shrines in this municipality, including one to Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies), one to the Virgin de la Cabeza, from the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Santa Rosalía shrine and the oldest of all, the one to San Sebastián.
Moorish Fortress
Some remains of the defensive walls that surrounded the town, built in the 13th century, still exist, and two of the four gateways in these protective walls are still preserved: the Puerta Real and the Puerta de Antequera, the former near the eighteenth century fountain bearing the name of Ferdinand VI.
Family mansions
In addition to all these religious buildings there are also a number of beautiful old traditional family mansions. The largest of these is the Mudéjar-style seventeenth century Beniel Palace, with Renaissance touches inside and a typical Andalusian interior patio. It used to be the residence of the general captains of the coast. Later it became the Town Hall and it currently houses the municipal archives and the María Zambrano Foundation. It is also the seat of the University of the Axarquía. Other civic buildings worth a mention include the Casa de Cervantes, where it is said that the writer lodged as he passed through the town during his time as a tax collector; the Cruz del Arrabal, The Cruz del Cordero, the Teatro del Carmen and the Fountain of Fernando VI.