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.