Moclinejo

Area: 14,80 Km
Number of inhabitants: 1.100
Descent: Moclinejenses
Monuments: Church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, Fountain at the Plaza de El Valdés, Manchón de las Minas.
Geographical situation: In the interior of the Axarquía, 25 kilometres from Malaga, at 451 metres above sea level.
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza de España, 7. 29738. Phone: 952 400 586 Fax: 952 400 505

In the interior of the Axarquía, just 25 kilometres from Malaga, and 451 metres above sea level, Moclinejo is known as the gateway to the Raisin Route. The most direct route there is by the main road, the autovía, observing the road signs once past the La Cala del Moral. The centre of the village, of Moorish origin, consists of one or two storey houses made of rubble and slate, which give the place quite a unique appearance. On some of the facades you can still see small niches containing images of saints. As for the streets, although they are made of tarmac, they have kept to their original unruly and winding routes. The Plaza de España is considered to be the most attractive part of Moclinejo and is the meeting place for local residents. It is a spacious open area with attractive paving, enclosed by the Town Hall, the back of the church and the village's most important buildings. As far as the village's history is concerned, above all it is worth mentioning a tragic incident in this area that gave the name to the Hoya de los Muertos or the Cuesta de Matanza. In 1483, Mulay Hacen was dethroned in Granada and took refuge in the castle.
The provocative attitude of the Moors enraged the Christians, who attempted to punish him, but the Moors fought back forcefully from the hilltop and decimated the Christian troops. Mulay Hacen gained great prestige from the victory. Later, after it became part of the kingdom of the Catholic King and Queen, Moclinejo went from strength to strength thanks to its vineyards, which were destroyed after the phylloxera plague in 1878, having started in the municipality and later spread throughout the province of Malaga. The municipality managed to recuperate its vineyards many years afterwards, and they now form the base of the local economy, along with the production of olive oil. Both the wine and the raisins from the area are well known in the province as a whole.


Outstanding visits
Church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia
The parish church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia was built during the 16th and 17th centuries. It boasts a bell tower with beautiful Moorish arcades. A detail to note is the choir gate, in modernistic style.
Manchón de las Minas.
At the Manchón de las Minas you will find the entrances to several mines, once containing silver, it is said. They had to be closed because of flooding.
Natural surroundings
Moclinejo is surrounded by numerous gorges and steep inclines, as is the entire Malaga Mountains region. The landscape is dry for most of the year, the streams filling with water only during the winter period. There are various routes one can take in the municipal area, the most interesting of which brings us to the southern end of the Piedrasblancas peak. To get there, one must keep heading west to reach Totalán. Another way to get there would be to continue north, almost as far as the source of the Totalán stream, then go on up from here on a laneway to the venta Cárdenas, in front of the Santo Pítar, or down towards the Totalán stream.
Customs: Noisy Christmas
One of the more curious traditions in Moclinejo involves the people of the place, armed with all types of weapon, old and new, marching in a procession and making as much noise as possible. Shots are fired and firecrackers are set off in a tumultuous welcome to the Child Jesus on Christmas Day. The story of this traditional festival is told by the writer Arturo Astilleros in his book "Historia de Vélez-Málaga".