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Málaga AREA: 385,50 km² ALTITUDE
ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 5 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 469 l/m²  
The municipal district of Málaga, one of the three largest in the province, next to Antequera and Ronda, extends over very different landscapes. The mountainous areas cover the northern half of the municipality with hilly reliefs which reach high altitudes, the Santo Pitar with 1.020 being the highest. Although the orography is very similar here, the vegetation and formation of its valleys allow to differentiate two surroundings: in the central part, the easter side of the Guadalmedina river mouth, is covered in pine groves and oak woods from the limits with the municipal district of Casabermeja until the border of the capital, forming spaces of great scenic quality which have earned the declaration as Natural Park from the Junta de Andalucia with the name Montes de Málaga. From the mouth of the Guadalmedina until the western border of the municipality, the morphology changes quite considerably as the masses of forest which characterize the park, disappear. Here, scrubland predominates over the woody area where the forest species are scarce and share the terrain with olives and almonds. Joined to the gullies, is the presence of hills, witnesses crowned by rocks which play an important role in the image of the northern border of the city, as occuring with the Cerro Coronado. The southern front of these mountains, in the area which contacts with the Hoya de Málaga, presents an urban character with suburbs, such as the Granja Suárez, urbanizations, such as the Atabal, and towns, such as Puerto de la Torre. The western third of the municipality, to the east of the Natural Park of the Montes de Málaga exhibits marked influences of the nearby region of the Axarquía. On a relief which continues to be of gullied hills, vines are added to the olives and almonds and near Santo Pitar, just a step away from the neighbouring region, the panormaa clearly begins to be like the Axarquía. Towards the south, between the valleys of the Jaboneros and Gálica brooks, the San Antón hill rises. Its mounts rise over the coastal facade watching over the advance of the eastern area of the city, through suburbs which penetrate the small valleys (Caleta, Limonar, Pedregalejo and Palo) or ascend the sides of the mountain and hills (Cerrado de Calderón, Miraflores del Palo and el Candado). To the south of the dominion of the mountains, perhaps the
most characteristic landscape of the municipality, extends the Hoya de Málaga. A coastal
depresion in which the valleys of Guadalhorce and Guadalmedina unite through the softly
undulating lands, which mark the entrance to the Hoya with numerous brooks which come out
of the mountains between both rivers. A landscape where the mountains and the traditional
plots of the Guadalhorce meet with the enormous city, melting together until the beginning
of one and the end of the other is unknown. In this space there are two elements which
stand out from the rest: one of great ecological interest; the mouth of the Guadalhorce
river, and the other of a The municipality, through its special conditions of its coastal situation at the exit of an important valley (the Guadalhorce), which was the entrance way for many towns which reached its coasts, has known man’s presence since prehistory. We don’t have any clear news about the city’s origins, but Estrabón spoke in the 1st century B.C. that at the foot of the hills where the Alcazaba is situated, there was a Phoenician city, possibly founded earlier. Anyway, in the Roman era, Málaga’s importance grew to be so great that it reached the category of a confederated city ruled by a special code - la lex flavia malacitata-. The existance of a theatre and the appearance of some excellent sculptural pieces allow us to think of a splendid cultural period. After a quite dark stage, corresponding to the Germanic towns, Malaga’s history shines again with the Arab rule. From this era, there are still traces in the outline of the streets in the old part of town. A walled precinct, which went from the sea up to the Alcazaba ascending the banks of the Guadalmedina river and the actual streets of Carretería and Alamos, marked the limits of the Muslim city. Where the central market is today, they built the dockyard of the port and where the Cathedral is, was the Great Mosque of the city. Outside the city and watching all the comings and goings, was the Gibralfaro fort. In the 14th century were the first attempts of conquest by the Christian troops, which didn’t culminate until the next century, after a long siege in which the small elevations around the city played big roles. Once it was taken on the 19th of August 1487, the city began to change aspect, adapting the new constructions to the conqueror’s tastes. From that moment the religious communities would play an important part in the urban growth of Málaga. The churches and convents built outside the walled precinct started to come together with the town giving way to the formation of outlying areas. The 16th and 17th centuries were hard for the city, not only
because of the consequences of the Moorish uprising and With the arrival of the 18th century, the city begins to recuperate and this is noticeable in a new extension of the port and in the resumption of works on the cathedral, which were paralized. At the beginning of the 19th century, the city already has two well defined sectors, both set outside the centre of medieval origin: the western extreme was formed by the influence of the industrial activity in that era, while the other extreme, villas and hotels appear in the purest "belle epoque" style. With the selling of the church lands and the later demolition of old ecclesiastic buildings, the church gained new spaces for its growth. The Marqués de Larios street is opened and the Alamdea street. However, the political vicissitudes of the 19th century left distressing reminders in the city, such as the execution of Torrijos and his followers. The century ended under the mark of the economic crisis: the collapse of the incipient industry, phyloxera plague, etc. The crisis would sink even deeper in the first decades of the 20th century until in the 60’s, with the massive development of toursim, the province would begin to revive and the city is converted in to an important service centre until it becomes one of the main ones of the country in our days.
Malaga alone brings together sufficient attractions of all kinds to form a voluminous guide, not only for occasional tourists but also for obdurate travellers. It is a case then of achieving an informative equilibrium between what the short stay visitor needs to know and what the one who has more time to stop and study the undoubtable treasures held in its numerous monuments and singular buildings, or even to walk around the historic area and sit on a terrace to enjoy the atmosphere and the almost permanently benign climate. The historic area offers the visitor the major part of the monuments, and as most of the edited guides reflect, perhaps the best way to get to know this city is by letting fate make the way as any corner can offer something to the traveller. From the most popular to the most sublime in art and history has been conserved in a broad outline, so it is not hard to find small streets with an an emphasized Arabic appearance, Christian monuments of the centuries immediately after the incorporation of Malaga in the Castilla crown, 19th century civil architecture and other samples which although of little artistic value, form a very attractive urban landscape. The most important monumental complex of the Muslim rule is the Alcazaba and the Castle of Gibralfaro, although the access to both are independent. The Alcazaba was built at the beginning of the 11th century (1057-1063), occupying the eastern extreme of the walled precinct which protected the city and which has been considered to be one of the most important military constructions in the Spain of that era for the quantity of defensive obstacles laid out to gain access to the governor’s palace. The entrance to this fort is through Alcazabilla street and you ascend zig-zagging between high walls through a series of doors in horse-shoe arches sustained by genuinely classical columns, extracted from the ruins of the neighbouring Roman theatre. After a kind of square, with a pergola, pool and garden you go through the Puerta de los Arcos, to a third level where there are the precincts of the Nazari palace and a small suburb of housings which date from the 13th and 14th century. Installed in this palace is the Provincial Archaeological Museum where there are very interesting collections of fragments of domestic utensils from paleolithic and neolithic sites; a valuable collection of Roman art based on busts, sculptures and funereal pieces, models of the Alcazaba and Cathedral, pieces of ceramics from the 13th and 14th century, as well as some pieces of caliphal art from the10th and 11th centuries. The origins of this museum, which dates from the 40’s is from the collection of archaeological pieces which belong to the marqui of Casa Loring, the so called Loringiano museum from the 19th century. The castle of Gibralfaro occupies a large part of the peak of the Gibralfaro mountain and it is said that a Phoenician lighthouse was there according to the Muslim chronicles, who called it Yabal-Faruk or lighthouse mountain, from where the name Gibralfaro comes from. This fort was built in the first half of the 15th century by the Muslim king Yusuf and in 1487 was conquered by the Catholic Kings, paradoxically serving to imprison the population and army of the defeated. In 1812, the french blew it up when they fled after suffering a deafening defeat.
The roman theatre, situated at the foot of the Acazaba and which somehow served as a pit from which to select some of the architectural pieces used by the Muslims to erect the Alcazaba, conserves part of the proscenium, an entrance gallery, remains of what was the orchestra, a good part of the arena, with 31 metres radius, and 16 metres high, with thirteen tiers and the vomitory. Once the Casa de Cultura (culture centre) was knocked down which occupied part of the theatre, they are proceeding to recuperate this keystone in the city’s history. The Puerta Obscura gardens are situated at the foot of Gibralfaro and owe their name to an Arabic door which used to exist there, and they also sheltered a Roman villa from which came, through excavations at the beginning of this century, some very important pieces, such as a mosaic which is now in the collection of the Archaeological Museum. The Customs Palace, headquarters of the Civil Government, is situated close to the previous monuments and other of religious and civil character, and was built at the end of the 18th century previously knocking down the walled belt which guarded what was an Arab urban nucleus. After the paralization of its construction for various reasons, among them the looting by the french troops, its construction was resumed in 1826 and was finnished three years later. This palace was never a customs office but a tabacco factory and later was the public finance office. With a cold neo-classical style, the only outstanding features are the interior courtyard and robust staircase with a marble bannister. It is not open to touristic visits. Other interesting examples in this part of the capital are the Lighthouse of the port, a singular building for its structure, which was built in the past century; the Malagueta bullring, a neo-mudejar construction erected in 1875; the actual courthouse or old Miramar hotel, which dates from 1921, and the building of the civic centre, the Casona del Parque, by the architect Guerrero Strachan in neo-baroque style which dates from the beginning of this century, as does the Miramar hotel by the same architect. The cathedral, in the historical centre and close to the previous singular buildings, is no doubt the great monument for its grandiose style - here there is a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Isabeline Gothic, Neo-classic, etc. - the result of the 254 years it took to build, and for its impressive architectural monumentality. The great religious building was erected, soon after the conquest of the city by the Catholic Kings, on the site of the major mosque of Malaga. The works started in 1528, the same year they began the Cathedral in Granada, and it is most probable that the author was Diego de Siloé, who together with Enrique Egas also intervened in both cathedrals and were inspired with the one in Toledo, in other words, using the Gothic base, although they found it indespensable to use the classic column, splitting the height in two parts with a capital as the division, which achieves a major monumental showiness. Many Renaissance experts followed these two, like Andrés de Vandelvira, to whom the Cathedral of Jaén is due, and later, at the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th, the major experts of the cathedrals of Seville and Granada, respectively. In 1735, the first body of the towers and the main facade were finished, and two decades later Antonio Ramos joined the projects, until past the second half of the 18th century the works were supervised by the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando with the professor of architecture, Ventura Rodríguez, who is the first Spanish artist who adheres to noe-classicism. The works finished in 1728, after more that two and a half centuries, but the tower on the southern side was never finished, thus the nickname of "Manquita" (one handed), adding the fact that the funds were destined to liberal causes and to support the Independence war which would later be the Untited States. The interior of the high temple of the city encloses real artisitic treasures, works by the great sculptors and painters of the era. On a course through both side naves, starting with the Gospel, are the chapels of Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Christ of the Good Death), with three carvings of Pedro de Mena and an 18th century organ; a carving of Ntra. Sra. de las Angustias (Our Lady of the Grievances), and further in is the carving of San Julián, from where you reach the vestry, which holds a good number of baroque paintings. The presbytery or high altar, in the upper part of the central nave, is from the end of the 16th century, with frescoes of Arbassia and a series of sculptures of saints, by anonymous authors, which date from 1580. The pulpits are from the 17th century and the tabernacle is from the mid 19th century, a work by Francisco Enríquez Ferrer. Continuing the course, you find the chapel of the Santo Cristo del Amparo with paintings of Santa Agueda by Luca Cambiasso. The chapel of the Incarnation presents a neo-classical reredos (1785) of Juan de Villanueva and carved by Antonio Ramos y Aldehuela, while the one of Santa Bárbara has a spectacular Gothic reredos which is the best thing in the temple. In the nave of the epistle, the first chapel corresponds to Ntra. Sra. de los Reyes (Our Lady of the Kings), with polichromed sculptures which represent the Catholic Kings and are the work of Pedro de Mena. Next is the chapel of the Purísima (purest), of which the baroque reredos has a canvas atributed to the Madrid artist Claudio Coello, and in the one of the Rosario (rosary) there is an oil painting by Alonso Cano; the last two chapels in the nave of the epistle are the Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart), with a 16th century reredos, and the Nueva (new), with the Dolorosa (Madonna) by the Granada Pedro de Mena, a Christ and a painting of the Inmaculada (immaculate), atributed to Niño de Guevara. Another outstanding element in the Cathedral is the choir, an authentic masterpiece carved in wood which dates from the 17th century by various authors, among which is Pedro de Mena and his master Alonso Cano, who is also from Granada and one of the most versatile artists in his time, to which a sculpture of San Lucas is also atributed in this same place. Next to the Cathedral in a yard with orange trees and gardens which recalls the Mulsim era as a place for meditation, there is the Parish of Sagrario (shrine), a work which began in 1488 but which only conserves the 16th century late-gothic door from the original project, and which the top half has to be emphasized as it is made with stone, a frieze in which sculptures of the cardinal Pedro de Mendoza appear and friar Hernando de Talavera, queen Isabel the Catholic’s confessor, offering the Virgin the already consecrated mosque after it was adapted to the Christian cult. This was the first construction by the Christians after conquering the city. Inside this church there is a magnificent altarpiece of the high altar, crowned with a Calvary which is considred to be one of the best examples of mannerist sculpture. Close to the Sagrario is the Palacio Episcopal, one of the best examples of civil architecture in the city. It is really two palaces, one from the 16th century and the second has been the residence of the bishop of the diocese, it is dated form the 18th century, with a baroque style which blends with the Cathedral next to it. Inside is the interesting Museo de Arte Sacro (Museum of Sacred Art) which has an excellent art and gold/silver work collection, as well as two small gardened yards with many plants. The outstanding feature of the main facade is the front divided in three lintelled bodies, the first being the access; the second is a row of balconies and the third has a vaulted niche which hold the sculpture of the Virgen de las Angustias or la Piedad, a work by Fernando Ortiz made in alabaster. Through this front you enter into the part of the palace which has been reformed and restored by the Junta de Andalucía to shelter artistic samples in the form of a hall for large exhibitions, such as the two which have been on Picasso’s works. Very close to the three last monuments described, in San Agustín street, is the San Agustín convent, built at the end of the 16th century. Its church was built a century later and consists of three naves with the choir with an 18th century reredos in the central nave. Right next to the convent is the Palacio de Buenavista, a work from the 16th century built over the site of an old noble Muslim house which holds the Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum). The front has a plateresque style and presents a magnificent turret of marked Mudejar which contrasts with the general Renaissance outline. The courtyard of columns comes from a recent restoration and another further in, gardened and with Mudejar inspiration, has two mosaics from the Roman era, one coming from Cartama which represents the birth of Venus, and another which appeared in Benalmadena with geometric drawings. This museum, which is the best equipped in the city, has a score of rooms filled with paintings and sculptures by diverse prominent artists, such as Murillo, Zurbarán, Morales "El Divino" , Alonso Cano, Ribera, Luca Giordano, and from more recent times there are works by Sorolla, Martínez Cubells, Picasso and a good collection of paintings from the school in Malaga from the 19th century, in this case, represented by Moreno Carbonero, Muñoz Degrain, Simonet, Nogales, etc. From San Agustin street where the museum is, you come out to the Granada street and from there to the Merced square, which is probably the square with the most colour and taste in Malaga in the 19th century. Here is the conserved and restored house where Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born, which has been converted by the Fundación municipal Picasso into a museum and library for the ample bibliography which exist about this international and brilliant painter. In the centre of the square, there is an obelisc which was placed in 1842 to commemorate the execution of the general Torrijos and his liberal companions on the 11th of December 1831 on the beaches of San Andrés. Next to the square, still in Granada street, is the parish church of Santiago, which dates from the 16th century and was built over the site of an old mosque. This church was restored at the beginning of the 18th century with baroque elements in plasterwork, using vegetable motifs and two colours to emphasize certain parts of the decoration. There are also vaults from this era which hide the Mudejar armour of the covering. There is also the Mudejar bell tower with a whitewashed facace and three fronts, the choir, the chapels and the valuable works of art it treasures. Following the course through the historical centre of the city and backtracking through Granada street, you come out into the plaza de la Constitución (constitution square), thus named in commemoration of the Magna Carta of the 6th of December 1978 and which on one of its sides there is a monolith which testifies it, and a post with the national flag. This square was the centre of life after the Christian conquest, judging by the main civil buildings and various churches in a radius of a few hundred metres, such as the civic centre, the magistrate, the high court, the prison, and others, such as the consulate built at the end of the 18th century which holds institutions such as the Montepío de Socorro de los Cosecheros (the friendly society of aid for harvesters), the Consulado Marítimo y Terrestre (The Maritime and Terrestrial Consulate), and the Sociedad Econónomica de Amigos del País (economic society for friends of the country). This building was declared in 1923 to be an historical-artistic monument. A few metres away, at the entrance to Compañia street, is the church of the Santo Cristo de Salud, a work which dates from the beginning of the 17th century (1626). This temple, which belonged to the Jesuits, has the singularity of having a round base and is crowned with a spctacular dome. The relevant element is the high altarpiece, carved in wood with a certain dramatic quality and polichromed in 1633. In front of this is the tomb of Pedro de Mena. Further north, in Mártires street, is the church with the same name. It is a building built from 1491 by order of the Catholic Kings, although its present enlarged form dates from the 18th century and therefore has a rich example of Andalusian baroque based on golden plaster which covers the walls and vaults. Still in the historical centre, where the urban outline is from the medieval era, is the Inn called Mesón de San Rafael, built in the mid 19th century. And further south, in the Santa Isabel passage way, there is the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares (museum of arts and popular customs), which has the singularity of the building which holds it, built in the mid 18th century, as are the contents, which reflect an impressive collection of objects, utensils, dowries, furniture, tools, paintings, drawings, signs, sculptures, from the most artistic to the most banal of past centuries. This museum is the faithful reflection of Malaga life, as much as a city as a rural centre of earlier eras. Almost at the limits of what was the walled precinct of the Arabic city, is the central market of Atarazanas, which owes its name to the monumental door from a now missing building, which is the most characteristic of Muslim art, with a horse-shoe archway in the central part which gives access to the present neo-mudejar construction, from the 19th century by Joaquin Rucoba, and which holds the main public market in the city. And to complete this course through the old part of town, one has to mention some streets and landmarks which have made history in the city, such as the monument to the marqui of Larios, erected at the end of the 19th century at the entrance of Larios street and is a work by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure; Larios street and the adjacent ones, mainly pedestrian, which conserve their Arabic structure and outline, where there are numerous shops of small specialized commerce. But still at the left margin of the Guadalmedina river, between the Paseo de los Curas and the Cervantes avenue, is the Paseo del Parque running parallel to the port, which was designed and built on terrains gained from the port as an authentic botanical museum, perhaps the best in Europe regarding subtropical species and opening up by the Coracha and the Malagueta, the fountain of Las Tres Gracias in its actual and third site since it was first placed in the 19th century in the actual Constitution square. A walk through the port and at its entrance is the Plaza de la Marina, which lost its old physiognomy through a modern architectural conception and subterranean parking lot which during its construction, uncovered a piece of the old medieval wall which enlcosed the city, right next to the facade of the palace of the county council. The sanctuary of the Virgen de la Victoria, outside the historical centre and on the high part of the extent of the city, was built to hold the image of the Virgin which had arrived with the entourage of the Catholic Kings and after the conquest of the city in 1487 was converted into the patron of Malaga. At the end of the 15th century, according to the tradition, the King Fernando authorized the construction of the monastery for the Fransiscan monks and a new church which was consecrated at the beginning of the 16th century. At the end of the 17th century, because of the ruined state of the convent they proceeded to rebuild it, thanks to the help of the Count of Buenavista, inaugurating it in 1700. In our times, the sanctuary has been restored, with the inclusion in the project of the urbanization of its esplanade. Inside the church, as an example of Andalusian baroque is the magnificent complex formed by the crypt and niche which holds the image of the Virgin. There is also the church of San Felipe Neri, built at the end of the 18th century by the project of the architect Ventura Rodríguez and the fulfilment by another architectural artist, Jose Martín de Aldehuela. Outside the historical centre, on the right margin of the Guadalmedina river where there are the suburbs, of such popular history, as the Trinidad and Perchel, there are other monuments of notable architectural interest, but first we have to mention one of the bridges which crosses this watercourse which is generally dry but which in the first years of the present decade in the 90’s has experienced a profound transformation in the part near the mouth. It is the bridge of Santo Domingo, built with the donations of the German colony for the heroic behaviour of the Malaga people on saving the crew of a German marine war ship which was shipwrecked. Regarding the monuments, one has to mention the Convent of Santo Domingo, which dates from the end of the 16th century, and had to be rebuilt in a different style to the original Gothic-Mudejar, on two occasions during the 17th century because of the overflowing of the river and following floods. Later, it was burned in 1931 and had to be restored again. The parish church of San Pablo, erected in the mid 17th century and rebuilt at the end of the 19th century, also suffered a fire and had to be rebuilt some years later. On the other hand, the convent of the Trinity, converted into military quarters after the sale of the church lands in the 19th century, could become an archaeological museum if the municiapl project goes ahead. In the Perchel suburb there is the parish church of San Pedro, from the first quarter of the 17th century. But Malaga also has another three botanical jewels, as well as the previously mentioned park. The Finca de la Concepcíon, La Cónsula and El Retiro, of which the building and spectacular gardens, of 18th century baroque expression, are owed to the talent of the architect Aldehuela. Some chroniclers say that these are the best private gardens which exist in Spain.
The Malaga capital can be considered as the great handicraft centre in the province. There are specialists in practically all the occupations, such as ceramic, metal , wooden furniture, various wood objects, skins and leather, jewellery, textile, vegetable fibres, glass, binding, wax and paraffin, toys and dolls, marble sculpture, etc.
The capital of the province, from a gastronomic point of view, is the summary of the best and most popular cooking in the province of Malaga. Nevertheless, it also has its peculiarities. So, all year round, there are the pickled dishes, herrings, rice with seafish, fresh anchovies in vinager, prawn cocktail, Malaga salad or salad of cod with olives and orange, soup with mayonnaise, prawns ‘pil pil’, porridge, fish soup, sardine kebabs, and fried fish from the bay. In the winter, the common dishes are cabbage, noodle soup, asparagus, stew, garlic soup, fresh anchovy soup and Malaga soup. In the summer are the traditional cold soups such as ‘ajoblanco’ with grapes and ‘gazpacho’.
The festive calender is very ample in Malaga if you take into account that all the suburbs have their particular festivities. But keeping to the city as a whole, we have to start with the Epiphany on the 5th of January. At the end of February they celebrate a week of carnival. In the early hours of the 23rd and 24th of June, beaches and suburbs no matter how small burn the traditional "juas" (manikins), and as one of the large festivities is no doubt the Easter with the majestic processions which congregate multitudes, a lot of them outsiders. In mid July is the Virgen del Carmen with the traditional marine procession.
At the end of December, on the 28th, right into the Christmas and New Years Eve, are the ‘verdiales’ (singing and dancing), which changed location some years ago from the Venta de Túnel to the San Cayetano, in the suburb of Puerto de la Torre.
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History and Landscape
human
interest, the coastal facade of the city, presided by its port.
their later expulsion, but also for the epidemics and floodings
provoked by the Guadalmedina river, which were accompanied by various succesive bad
harvests during the 17th century. The construction of the port and its later extension
took place in this era. 
Places to visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
Festivities and traditions
The main
festivities take place in mid August, the fair which commemorates the incorporation of
Malaga to the Corona de Castilla (castille crown) in 1487. Here they not only have the day
fair which is celebrated in the historical centre, which includes processions with horses
and carts and horsemen and women dressed with the typical Malaga and Andalusian dress, but
also the bull fair in the Malagueta bullring with the intervention of the first national
and southamerican matadors.