Ayuntamiento de Antequera
C/Infante Don Fernando, 70
29200 Antequera, Málaga
Telephone: 952-708-100 http://www.antequera.es/
About The Area
A visit to this historical Andalucían
town is a journey almost 5,000 years back in time, beginning with
the Bronze Age and the native Iberians. The timeline is there
to be followed in this fascinating city's profusion of burial
mounds, dolmens, Roman baths, a Moorish Castle, Gothic churches,
Renaissance fountains and baroque bell towers.
The first sighting of Antequera in the distance
is that of a typical medieval town, with the spires of her many
churches and the walls and towers of the great Moorish fortress
silhouetted against the sky.
Spread out in the valley below lie rich farmlands irrigated by the Guadalhorce River. For centuries
this has been one of Andalucía's most fertile areas, and
is currently a leading producer of asparagus, cereals and olives.
In summer, its fields turn brilliant yellow with sunflowers.
The town and valley are overlooked by an enormous
crag of limestone, 880 metres high that resembles a mans face, called La Peña de los
Enamorados, or "The Lovers' Leap".
The name comes from
a local legend about an impossible love affair between a young
Christian man from Antequera and a beautiful Moorish girl from
nearby Archidona, who were driven to the top of the cliff by the
Moorish soldiers, where, rather than renounce their love, they
chose to hurl themselves into the abyss.
One of Antequera's most impressive sights is
its dolmens, located in a park to the west of the town, the most
spectacular of which is the Cueva de la Menga. These megalithic
mass tombs, made of huge slabs of rock, were created by the original
Iberian people and date back 5,000 years.
There are many such
dolmens in Andalucía, but none as large as the Cueva de
la Menga. When it was excavated in the nineteenth century, many
hundreds of skeletons were found in its inner chamber.
Other fascinating monuments to be seen in the
town are the recently excavated Roman baths, the magnificent Renaissance
church of Santa María la Mayor Church, the Church of Nuestra
Señora del Carmen, the 19th century bullring, and the Arch
of the Giants, built in 1585, which leads up to the 13th century
Moorish castle.
We recommend the Convento de las Descalzas,
the Barefoot Carmelitas, on the square of the same name. Inside
the heavy wooden entrance, there is a small counter with a display
of bakery products and prices, next to a revolving wooden door.
You pull a rope which rings a bell, and then hear a woman's voice
say "Sí", after which you give your order and
place your money on the tray.
The hidden nun then spins the tray
around, with the pastries emerging from the door.
El Torcal Park Nature Reserve is known for unusual
limestone rock formations. El Torcal Park Nature Reserve is located
about 30 km north of Málaga city in the direction of Antequera
near the village of Villanueva de la Concepción. Within
El Torcal Park's 17 square km are some of the most beautiful and
impressive limestone landscapes in Europe. The whole area was
under sea until one hundred million years ago.
Then the violent movements of the Earth's crust
forced it upward into hills and mountains up to 1.300 m.
The limestone still kept its layered horizontal formation. Because of this,
over the millions of years the rain and wind have been able to
chisel away at these layers to form incredible shapes.
To reach the heart of the park it is possible to drive up to 1.100 m. above sea level along a good access road
into the park. Simply go to the village of Villanueva de la Concepción and follow the signs to El Torcal out of the
town about 1 km. There is also a very easy and picturesque route from the centre of Antequera.
At the parking area you will find an information centre, small museum,
with an interesting of view of the wildlife, flora and fauna of
the park. Orchid enthusiasts will be captivated by the 30 varieties
of the plant growing in the park.
Three routes through the park for walkers have been marked out with different coloured arrows on wooden sticks.
The green route is the shortest and easiest, 1,5 km. and takes about 30 minutes. The yellow route covers most
of the green area, is 2,5 km. long and takes you to "Las Ventanillas" The Windows, at 1.200 m. for panoramic views
of the valley of Málaga and the Mediterranean coast and on clear days straight over to the Atlas Mountain range
of North Africa.
Finally the red route is the longest and most difficult, 4,5 km.
taking about three hours, with a viewing point 1.339 m. up where
you can see the whole of the El Torcal Park and the Africa Coastline.
You need good walking shoes or trainers, in
the warm months take a bottle of water. El Torcal de Antequera
- The enchanted mountain range!
