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Rincón de
la Victoria AREA: 27,50 km² ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL: 5 metres AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL: 480 l/m² AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 18 ºC POPULATION CENSUS 1994: 16,116  
The lands of Rincon de la Victoria, although adjacent to the municipality of Malaga, present a landscape which is typical of the Axarquía coast. On crossing the Totalán brook, the traveller perceives a different world, where the mountains have rounded and lengthened their forms. Here they are not covered in pines as with the neighbouring municipality. They have olives, almonds, carob trees, and vines which extend over most of the territory. A territory which has a small nucleus in the purest style of this region in its interior: Benahalbón. And there where the valleys and watercourses begin to widen, to look out to the coast, there are small coastal plots, which pushed by construction, begin to ascend the hills in terraces, bringing the greenery of the subtropical crops to the landscape. Finally, on the coast, which only a few decades ago was a small fishing village, it has grown spectacularly filling the area with constructions, which having used up the coastal areas are seeking the old plots and nearby hills. But although such growth would make you think that the history of these lands is recent, the truth is that man’s presence in these lands is the oldest in the province of Malaga. In the Higueron cave (also known as Cueva del Tesoro), cave paintings have been found, objects and remains from the paleolithic era and in another nearby cave, Victoria, there have also been findings from the Bronze Age. All in all, it is in the 6th century B.C., with the Punic-Phoenician settlement in the Benagalbón hill, that the present municipality of Rincón de la Victoria enters history. During the Roman rule there was a small fort in the area to combat the pirate incursions, and according to the historian Plinio, was a temple dedicated to the moon. In the sites of Benagalbón, the Romans left square mosaics of geometric figures and the remains of baths. The Muslims founded, in what is today Rincon de la Victoria, a nucleus called Bezmiliana. In the 11th century, this nucleus had a fishing port, a notable medina, tunny nets, mosque and a wall around the main nucleus, to such an extent that in the 12th century it held a strong influence in the area. The remains of this settlement are in the place called "El Castellon" on the road to Benagalbón. When the Christian troops which tried to take Malaga, arrived in the area, they found Bezmiliana depopulated and although they repopulated it between the end of the 15th century and beginning of the 16th, it was depopulated again even before the Moorish rebellion. In the mid 18th century (1766), near the ruins of Bezmiliana and next to the royal pathway to Velez, a fort or castle was built to defend the coast. But a town dedicated to sea chores begins to grow around its walls, which was the direct origins of the present nucleus of Rincon de la Victoria, whose name seems to procede from the fact that the lands used to belong to the estate of the Victoria Convent. At this time what today is El Rincon, was considered administratively as an annexe of Benagalbón, which would hold the municipality’s capital until 1906, when as Rincon’s population was greater, the location of the Town Hall was changed. On the 17th of February 1950, the new capital of the municipality was confirmed officially.
No doubt the most outstanding feature is the Cueva del Tesoro, with the remains of cave paintings and signs of having been inhabited in the paleolithic era, which gives it a great importance from a historic point of view. The main gallery is more than 500 metres long. It is situated in the Cala del Moral, inside the municipal district. The Casa Fuerte de Bezmiliana is worth visiting, with masonry outer walls for defending the ancient Bezmiliana city. This ancient city has been considered to have a great value among the existing ones with the same characteristics on a European level. The Casa Fuerte has recently been rehabilitated and its present use is basically for cultural purposes. The lookout towers on the coast are also interesting, and were used to warn of the pirate's arrival - with smoke signs during the day and fires during the night -. One is in El Cantal and the other in the Benagalbon area. The visitor must not forget to visit the municipal district’s beaches, which after being regenerated have become an attraction for the sun and beach tourist.
There is no local handicraft in the area. For its present touristic characteristics, there are various shops and commerces with quality articles and the typical "souvenirs", although recently, shops which sell ceramics and forging articles are proliferating, basically also destined for tourists.
The gastronomy is almost exclusively based on fish,
emphasizing the sardine kebabs, and jurels, as well as "boquerones victorianos"
anchovies from the local bay.
The local festivities take place in Benalgabon on the 2nd of February with the celebration of the Virgen de la Candelaria. In the Cala del Moral they celebrate their festivities from the 4th to the 7th of July with fishing smack regattas, while in Rincon de la Victoria the fair is celebrated at the end of August. The main fair takes place on the 16th of July, with a sea procession of the Virgen del Carmen , patron saint of fishermen. Many boats escort her during the night, accompanied by fireworks and bonfires on the beach. Although lately they are being lost, there is still an ample range of folklore based on ‘verdiales’ and ‘malagueñas’.
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History and Landscape
Places to visit
Shopping
Gastronomy
Festivities and traditions