|
|
Benaoján AREA: 31,90 km² ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 565 meres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 1168 l/m² AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 15’9 ºC POPULATION, CENSUS 1994: 1,666  
Benaoján, situated at 565 metres above sea level, extends its houses over the small valley of the Montejaque brook, from the foot of the Sierra de Juan Diego up to the Guadiaro river which comes out at the Barriada de la Estación. Although most of the district’s lands form part of the Guadiaro valley, the sierras (Juan Diego - 1,298 m. and Palo - 1.041 m.) which dominate the municipality’s landscape are narrowly joined to the mountain complex known as Sierra de Libar and through it to the Natural Park of the Sierra de Grazalema, which mainly extends through the province of Cadiz. On the whole, the Benaoján landscape is rough, especially where the Guadiaro river fits between the sierras to the south of the municipality. In this panorama there is a great contrast between the bare limestone and the holm-oak wood which rises half way up the hill side. The sierras, apart from their general attractiveness offer sceneries of great beauty in their interior, such as the Pozuelo or the small plain near the Pileta cave. There are also attractive spots in the Guadiaro valley, as in the Tajo de la Dehesa and around the Estación. In the limestone sierras of Benaoján there are an abundance of caves which could have been inhabited by the first settlers in the province. In them and the surroundings there have been findings of axes and other stone tools, fosilized human remains, pieces of ceramic and cave paintings. The most famous is the Pileta cave where there are samples of cave paintings from diverse periods. Another important grotto is the Cueva del Gato (cat’s cave), next to the Guadiaro river. Here, apart from the archaeological interest, there is the geological interest as the Guaduares river’s waters come out here after a subterranean course of 4 kilometres. As in most of the province’s towns, the most documented period is with the Arabic rule. For some, the town’s name means - sons of Oján - from the Berber tribe and for others - the baker's house - but we are inclined towards the first as Ben means 'son of'. The castle of Benaoján surrendered to the Christian troops in 1485 but the Moors who remained in the village, joined the rebellion of the 16th century and once this was stifled were expelled from the lands.
The town centre conserves its Arabic form and the most representative monument is the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, from the mid 17th century, which was reformed in the 18th century and a few decades ago. Of its primitive construction, there is the Gothic vault which covers the presbytery, while the rest is covered in wooden armour. The front is an archway with pediment in which a niche holds the image of the virgin, and the tower consists of two rectangular bodies and another octagonal one for the bells. On the outskirts of Benaoján there is a complex of caves with pre-historic importance, such as the Pileta which was declared a National Monument of Cave Art in 1924 for the quantity, quality and oldness of its pictorial samples. The Pileta cave is three kilometres away from the town and was discovered in 1911 by the Englishman Verner, and the archaeologists who studied and established the eras of the geometric and figurative paintings were also foreigners. The other grotto, of notable archaeological interest, is the Hundidero-El Gato cave, that in its day guarded a very rich site which was totally plundered. The caves of Alfaque, Cancho, la Cabaña, Camarín, La Higuereta etc. are of archaeological interest and as a scenic view point there are places like Las Montillas, la Sierra de Grazalema and la Torre de Moro.
Apart from some master craftsmen’s creations who work with wicker and cane, the main industry in which the town’s economy is based, are pork products.
The pork products are the most appreciated and the most consumed, among them there is loin in lard, and spicy sausage in wine. The menu is completed with rabbit with garlic, and cold summer soup.
San Marcos is on the 25th of April, and on the 7th of October are the patron saint's festivities in honour of the Virgen del Rosario, where they taste the pork industry's products.
|
|
History and Landscape
Places to Visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
Festivities and traditions