Moclinejo
Municipality of the Axarquía

[History] [Places to visit] [Shopping] [Gastronomy] [Festivities] [Additional Information]

AREA: 14,80 km² ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 451 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 582 l/m²
AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 17’5 ºC POPULATION CENSUS 1994: 1.098

History and Landscape

The town of Moclinejo stands on a small hill of the Piedras Blancas hills, open to the valley of the Benagalbón river. Its surroundings are typical of the Axarquía, with fissured hills which are mainly covered in olives, almonds, and vines, and thickets over the hardest slopes of the terrain. The town offers a pretty picture when you look at it from the road which ascends from the coast and snakes near it. From some parts of the town you can see the coast through the corridor of the Benagalbón valley.

With the absence of documentation or vestiges from before the Arab rule which would prove the existance of settlements before this era, one has to think that Moclinejo is a Muslim foundation. As much the place as the name seem to point in this direction. Although the meaning of Moclinejo is not clear, it could have come from Moclín, as the people from this town in the province of Granada could have founded the town. In the chronicles from the 15th and 16th century it appears as Moclinetum, Mohinete, Modinete, Molinete and even Molinillo.

In the lands of Moclinejo, the Christian troops of the captain general of Antequera, Don Pedro Enríquez, suffered a great defeat against the Muslims in 1482. The history points out that the Muslims had sought refuge in a castle on seeing their properties burned, however, they came out of hiding and threw rocks and tree trunks at their enemies. Such were the wounded of the Christian troops of Alonso de Aguilar, that there is a ravine in the district which from then on is called the ‘Hoya de los Muertos’ Pit of the Dead.

The rest of the history is similar to all the area: Christian conquest, Muslim expulsion, economic climax with the grape production, crisis and collapse caused by Phyloxera and having to start all over again.

---



Places to visit

The most notable building is the church with its bell tower, as well as its arcades and Arabic mixture roofs. Near the town is the previously mentioned Hoya de los Muertos and the ‘Cuesta de la Matanza’ Killing hill. Both a reminder of the Christian soldier massacre.

---

Shopping

The typical handicraft is the weaving with grasses etc. There are also two factories or oil mills where you can buy the much appreciated oil. Raisins and Muscatel wine can also be acquired.

---



Gastronomy

The most traditional cooking are ‘migas’ breadcrumbs fried with garlic, stewed cod, and various types of soup: ‘mainmones’ with bread and oil, and ‘gazpachuelo’ with mayonnaise. In the summer they have ‘gazpacho’ and ‘ajoblanco’ both cold soups. For sweets they have ‘borrachuelos’ sticky buns, and ‘hornazos’ buns with an egg inside. The wines from the land are very good

---



Festivities and traditions

Between the 24th and 25th of August are the patron saint's festivities of San Bartolomé. At the end of May they celebrate the pilgrimage and at Easter, Easter Sunday is relevant. Regarding folklore there are the ‘verdiales’ singing and dancing.