|
|
Almargen AREA: 34,10 km² ALTITUDE ABOVE
SEA LEVEL: 510 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 500 l/m²
Almargen presents a frontier landscape between the Ronda highlands, the northern plain of Málaga and the Seville and Cadiz countrysides. An abrupt landscape towards the highlands by Cañete la Real, in which the road takes advantage of the narrow valley of the Cañada de la Saucedilla and then rises up to the village at the entrance to the highland. A landscape which strongly contrasts with the agricultural plain which extends around the town with olive groves, cereals and sun flowers. Further from the plain, the landscape presents small rounded hills, which mark the roof of the town about 510 metres above the town, 620 metres in the Salguera hills, 612 metres in the Galán hills and 649 metres in the Grana hills. These last two being on the frontier of the municipality. The agricultural potential of the Almargen plains and its strategic situation in an area which has been converted into an easy access for man and merchandise, has favoured this town’s lands since old, as demonstrated by the last archaeological remains found, during the construction of the road between Almargen and Olvera. The presence of man at the end of the neolithic period is known, but it would be with the arrival of the Phoenicians that the area knew its first moments of splendour, as the pathway which joined Tartessos with Mainake crossed the lands of Almargen. Later, the Romanizing left numerous marks in this territory, especially in the bowls of the Corbones and Almargen rivers and the northern area of the municipality. From there, a Roman roadway passed which exited from the road XI which joined Antikaria (Antequera) with Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja). The actual name of the town is of Arabic origin, Almargen - the two prairies - and although there are no historical facts of this period, nor any concrete archaeological findings, ceramic vestiges have been seen, generally mixed with other Roman material, all along the valley formed by the Almargen and Corbones rivers.
The heart of the town is its main square, where there is a fountain, and close by is the parish church of the Inmaculate Conception, built in the 16th century and reformed at the end of the 17th century. The church has a beautiful mannerist facade, crowned with a Baroque belfry. Primitive Mudejar armours cover the central nave and presbytery. Places of archaeological interest are: the Roman necropolis in Sierra de Rebollo, the medicinal spring in Casablanca and the caves of Pedro Santo and Casablanca.
The handicraft work based on forging to make windows, balustrades, railings, and diverse farming tools.
The gastronomic specialties in Almargen are the asparagus,
'porra antequerana' thick cold soup, mushrooms, asparagus soups, and young wine of the
present year’s vintage. Pork products have preference.
The patron saint's festivities in honour of San Cosme and San Damián are the 26th and 27th of September. At the end of May they celebrate the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Fatima in a place called La Saudecilla.
|
|
HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
Places to visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS