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This handsome hill town, just 35 minutes north
of Málaga and 20 south of Antequera,
is described as "al pie del Torcal", 'at the
foot' of the El
Torcal Natural Area. This is a remarkable 17km-square region
of limestone rock formations eroded by wind and rain that might
almost be described as Andalucía's answer to Uluru, the original
name now used for Australia's Ayer's Rock. Some 100 million years
ago the entire region was deep below the Mediterranean, and only
gradually hefted above sea level by seismic activity that continues
today across Andalucía. Nowadays there is a small visitors'
centre, car park and signposted walking routes through the area.
The
Torcal landscape has attracted tourists for many years, some of
whom have bought properties in town and countryside, and Villanueva
de la Concepción is used to welcoming visitors. There are
many restaurants and bars in the town, which remains quite small,
with a population of around three thousand. Its elevation at roughly
500m above sea level gives it an ideal climate, mixing the heat
of the Costa with fresh mountain breezes. Tourism here tends to
be 'turismo rural', in country cottages and hostales, and a handy
new campsite with cabins and a pool popular with visitors and townsfolk
alike. Just five kilometres from Villanueva is the more upmarket
La Posada del Torcal hotel.
There
is a theory, supported by local archaeological excavations of prehistoric
stone tools, that hunter-gatherers were living in the Villanueva
area as long ago as 60,000BC, and that Neanderthal man established
cave dwellings here before 5,000BC. Certainly, there has been a
human settlement on the site of Villanueva de la Concepción
since 200BC, when Roman invaders established a small town which
they called Oscua. Ruins of Roman villas can still be seen today,
and there are vestiges of a forum, a theatre and a burial ground.
Oscua was obviously an important early settlement, and so close
to the major port to the south. Roman artefacts have been discovered
in a swathe of land ten kilometres across around Villanueva, suggesting
widespread habitation.
Villanueva
was taken by the Moors shortly after their invasion in 711AD. They
built the nearby castle, el Castillo de Xébar, for defensive
reasons in the wars that swept across Andalucía for the best
part of 800 years. The castle also guarded one of the key crossroads
from the north down to the coast. It was taken by the Christians
in 1410, by an army led by the Infante Don Fernando, who reinforced
the castle while the Reconquest still raged for another 78 years,
during which time Villanueva was a frontier garrison. After the
Reconquest, the castle lost its military importance and was abandoned.
At this time, the Spanish settlement was known as Cuesta del Palmar,
hill of the palm-growers.
In the 18th century, the route running past Cuesta
del Palmar was turned into a "Camino Real", 'royal
way', between Madrid and the coast, and various bridges built around
the town, now renamed Villanueva de la Concepción. Arriving
from Málaga, you will cross the older El Puente del
Horcajo - Horcajo bridge, horcajo being the Spanish for
the land between the point where two rivers meet. It was built in
1786. The bridge crossing the neighbouring rio (river) Campanillas
was built a year later in 1787, as recorded in an inscription on
the bridge, which was constructed from a single arch spanning the
river.
Villanueva
was a small hamlet and only declared a village by decree from the
Málaga government in 1880, when it established a number of
new townships in the region to attract settlers. As an incentive,
the sons of the settlers were exempt from military service, and
no taxes were levied on any agriculture. Agriculture is still its
economic mainstay, although rural tourism is beginning - only just
- to develop here.
The most important festivals in Villanueva de la
Concepción are the February carnival, the
town's summer Feria around August 15 and the official
anniversary of the establishment of Villanueva de la Concepción
on November the third.
Inland
Andalucia
Comprehensive range of Village houses, Fincas, Villas
and Exclusive New developments in Inland Andalucia, covering
Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and Seville provinces. |
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