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Cortes de
la Frontera AREA: 173,60 km² ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 623 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 1160 l/m² AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 16’2 ºC POPULATION CENSUS 1994: 3.767  
The municipality of Cortes de la Frontera is situated on the extreme west of the province of Málaga, in the section of the Ronda highland which corresponds to the valley of the Guadiaro river. Although the sierras of the mountain complex of Grazalema reach this municipality, it is not because of it that the landscape is more spectacular, but for the enormous masses of oaks which cover the most part of its lands, from the Guadiaro river up to the limits with the province of Cádiz. And they don’t end there, but continue for quite a few kilometres through the Cadiz lands enlargening the panorama. Being altogether spectacular, it hides corners of exceptional beauty and singularity, such as the Sauceda spot, which the town hall has equipped with sleeping cabins, or the Buitreras gorge in the Guadiaro river. This last spot of which neither of the three accesses are easy (railway tunnels, river watercourse and steep hillsides), is situated near the hidro-electric station of Buitreras, near the Colmenar district. Those who manage to get there will find an awesome silence, broken only by the caw of ravens and the flapping of dove’s wings which cross the impressive and narrow gorge of more than 100 metres depth over the Guadiaro river. Man has not wanted to feel inferior, and has built a spectacular work of engineering: the railway cuts half of the hillside with an almost 2 kilometre artificial tunnel which opens up into hundreds of arches giving the impression of a cement snake. The beauty of this spot and its great ecological interest has given it the environmental protection through the declaration of natural parks: the Alcornocales (oaks), and Sierra de Grazalema, both shared with the province of Cádiz. The origins of Cortes de la Frontera seem to go back to the 12th and 11th century B.C. a time when the Phoenicians settled here, and later the Greeks, attracted by the commercial possibilities which their predecessors and then the Romans had exploited. These were the ones who left more marks of their presence with various settlements, the most important being Saepona, situated at 28 kilometres from Cortes de la Frontera, and the area called Cortes El Viejo, where interesting ruins have been discovered. With the Arabs, Cortes was called Cortex and successively belonged to the kingdoms of Sevilla, Granada and Ronda. After a brief phase in which it was conquered by Fernando III the Saint, it returned to the power of the Muslims until its definite conquest in 1485 by Rodrigo Ponce de León. Among the existing remains from the Arab era is the tower called "del Paso", situated in Castillejos. The actual site of the town dates from the end of the 17th century, a time when the exploitation of cork acquires importance in the area, and is still the main source of richness in the town.
The town on its present site has one of the constructions of architectural relief in its town hall which dates from the 18th century (1784), as well as a series of old houses which have heraldic shields carved in stone. The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario is another important monument, as well as the numerous vestiges of past civilizations who settled in the municipality. The church was probably built in the 17th century, around the same time as the county council, and consists of three naves separated by arches on pillars and with a half-canon vault in the centre and dome with a lantern over the transept. The sobriety of the construction, gives an idea of the aspect of its two stone fronts, with lintels and a shrine in one of them. The bell tower, next to the upper end of the temple has two bodies, the last crowned with a pointy roof. Among the old houses previously mentioned are the Valdenebro from 1763, the Stone house, and the parish which dates from 1700.
Objects made with cork, palm, esparto grass weaving and skins.
There is an wide sample of popular gastronomic creations- During the whole year there are dishes such as beef, cod omelette, meringues, stew, rehash made with fried bread, tomato, garlic, peppers and onions. In the winter there are breadcrumbs fried with garlic, and in the autumn there is game, such as deer with sauce and other hunted species, wild asparagus, lamb from the sierra and rabbit. In the summer is the obligatory 'gazpacho andaluz' cold soup. The confectionery has delicious examples such as mille-feuille, meringues, and flambéed desserts.
The festive calender begins with the carnival and follows with the Easter and Corpus Christi. The fair of San Roque and San Sebastian is the great patron saint's festivity celebrated between the 23rd and 27th of August with traditional dancing, competitions, cattle fair, and the letting loose of the "toro del aguardiente" (bull of the liquor). The pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario is organized at the beginning of June and in the middle of this same month is the horse-back pilgrimage. This town has their own fandango de Cortes.
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HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
Places to Visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS