The traditional crafts of the Axarquía have their origins in
the rural Moorish communities that settled in this region of Malaga. It is
not difficult to find craftsmen in the inland villages making works of art out of wood,
pita, esparto grass, wrought iron or moulding clay into ceramics. The regional centre for
crafts is Vélez-Málaga and craftsmen from other places take there work there to be sold.
You may find valuable things like some lace, a carving or utensil made out of tin plate,
on one of the street markets. Fans for the fire, mats, bags and baskets are made out of
esparto grass or rope ; wicker bags and baskets are made in Vélez-Málaga and Benamocarra
; there is still a tradition of making saddles and harnesses. In some of the inland
villages you may still find the beautiful bobbin lace that some of the old women of the
village have made. It is worth mentioning the long standing tradition of painters from the
Axarquía or more precisely from Vélez called the Veleña School. The exceptional light
of this region has inspired a generation of local artists who have gained international
fame like Paco Hernández, Evaristo Guerra and Vicente Hernández.
It is
not difficult to find craftsmen in the 
inland villages making works of art out of wood,
pita, esparto grass, wrought iron or moulding clay into ceramics. The regional centre for
crafts is Vélez-Málaga and craftsmen from other places take there work there to be sold.
You may find valuable things like some lace, a carving or utensil made out of tin plate,
on one of the street markets. Fans for the fire, mats, bags and baskets are made out of
esparto grass or rope ; wicker bags and baskets are made in Vélez-Málaga and Benamocarra
; there is still a tradition of making saddles and harnesses. In some of the inland
villages you may still find the beautiful bobbin lace that some of the old women of the
village have made. It is worth mentioning the long standing tradition of painters from the
Axarquía or more precisely from Vélez called the Veleña School. The exceptional light
of this region has inspired a generation of local artists who have gained international
fame like Paco Hernández, Evaristo Guerra and Vicente Hernández. 
