Almogía is known as "the cradle of the Verdiales"
This small town roughly halfway between Málaga
and Antequera is rightly
proud of its name. It derives from the Moorish al-megia or al-mexía,
'the pretty one', a reference to its position in the foothills of
the Sierra del Hacho, in the shadow of the Santi Petri
peak.
There
was very probably a settlement here since Roman times, as the presence
of a Roman road nearby attests. The town we see was settled by Moors,
and during the revolt against Córdoba's Omeyas caliphate
by Omar ben Hafsún in the 11th century Almogía was
fortified as an outpost of Hafsún's castle at Bobastro,
near the El Chorro
gorge. During the wars of the Reconquest, Almogía was
also used as a prison for Christian captives, and fell to the Christians
only late in the Reconquest - 1487, just five years before the decisive
fall of Grenada in 1492. Many of the 'Moriscos' - "those allowed
to remain" - were involved in the unsuccessful Moorish uprising
of 1570, and reprisals were harsh, leading to a drastic depopulation
of the area. The castle was captured by the French in the 19th century
War of Independence, and deliberately destroyed prior to their ousting.
Today, only one of the original seven towers remains, the Torre
de la Vela, possibly named after the tower in the Alhambra whose
bell tolled the time for the surrounding countryside.
 Almogía is known ass "the cradle of the
Verdiales", the rich local style of flamenco based on a country
variant of fandango, itself probably based on Arabic musical forms.
Almogía hosts an important Verdiales festival
every first week in August.
Its
hilly setting makes Almogía an ideal base for arboreal agriculture
such as cork, olives and almonds, as well as crafts employing esparto
grass. The village's worker cooperatives are famous for their hats,
which were worn by Spanish soldiers during the Cuban wars of the
19th century. Almogía also has a reputation for fine saddlemaking.
The castle, known as the Hins-Xan-Biter (Sancti-Petri,
after the mountain) is the most prominent structure in Almogia,
although most of it is in ruins. The town's most remarkable church
is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,
built over the ruins of a Moorish mosque deliberately destroyed
after the Reconquest. It was designed by Diego de Vergara in 1552
for the Bishop of Málaga. Despite the destruction of the
original mosque, an impressive coffered mudéjar ceiling covers
the central nave. The church boasts numerous 18th century religious
icons, as well as a portrait of the hermit, Saint Paul.
The second most important religious structure in
the town is the Ermita del Sagrado Corazón
(sacred heart), located in the upper part of the town. The building
we see today was built in the 18th century and has a small choir
and bell tower, originally used by nuns living in an adjoining convent
that was demolished in the 19th century. The town also has a shrine
of Christ the Saint on the cross in calle Santo Cristo, the only
surviving example of no less than fourteen that were erected around
the town.
Just outside the town, the Lavadero de Noria,
its former municipal wash house, on calle Juan Carlos 1, was still
in use as late as 1990. It consists of no less than thirty earthenware
basins on a stone base, originally fed by water raised by waterwheel.
Further outside the town, at the Venta del Fraile, is a minor archaeological
site where prehistoric paintings and artefacts were discovered.
Almogía has a number of important annual
festivals. After the February carnaval, Semana Santa at Easter reaches
a peak on the Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, when the 'Burial
of Christ' procession takes place and most townsfolk dress in black.
On May 15, the romeria (procession) of San Isidro,
patron saint of farmers, gives everyone an excuse to travel out
into the countryside for a picnic. The August Verdiales
festival also coincides with the Trilla, or threshing competition.
There are three classifications in this competition among threshers
and the best way to separate wheat from chaff, including threshing
on a board, and threshing with a roller. There is also a threshing
song celebration. The most celebrated Almogía dish is Chanfaina,
kid goat with almonds, but there are also many local specialities
using pork.
The municipal tourist office is at the town hall,
in Plaza de la Constitución, Tel: 952 430 025.
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