Benamocarra: History, Music and Landscape

Benamocarra is one of six municipalities along the Ruta del Sol y del Aguacate through the Axarquía.

History

The historic centre of Benamocarra preserves a Moorish-influenced layout with irregular streets, former adarves, whitewashed houses and courtyards with arched gateways. Twelve ceramic murals distributed throughout Benamocarra tell the history of the town since the period of Arab rule.

The Fuente de Los Caños was created from a spring behind an Arab arch that is now covered and has three outlets. It served as a washing place and was therefore also a customary meeting place for the community.

Culture

The Iglesia de Santa Ana in Benamocarra is under comprehensive architectural protection and dates from the late 16th century. It has three naves and an octagonal Mudéjar-style roof structure above the central nave. The exterior tower of the Iglesia de Santa Ana has a rectangular ground plan and follows the Mudéjar architectural type.

Santo Chiquito is a small chapel that is not equipped for worship and contains a small mosaic image of Christ inside. The Noria de San Marcos is listed as an element of medieval tradition.

The birthplace of the composer Eduardo Ocón Rivas in Benamocarra is now a museum. Casa Natal Eduardo Ocón is assigned to the “Contemporánea” category with the entry “PEI” in Benamocarra. A mill dating from the late 18th century has been converted into a museum and includes millstones, a courtyard, cellars and several rooms.

Festivals and Traditions

Día de la Música takes place every year in September in honour of the local composer Eduardo Ocón Rivas (1833–1901). Recognised as a festival of provincial tourist interest, Día de la Música is considered a festival of special tourist significance for the province.

This September festival includes rondalla groups, pandas de verdiales and classical music concerts. At Día de la Música, typical dishes and other traditional specialities of the municipality are sampled.

Nature and Hiking

The landscape of Benamocarra combines olive, almond and wine cultivation with subtropical fruit crops as well as orange and lemon groves. Cerro de la Jaula offers panoramic views of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama, the Mediterranean Sea and Los Montes de Málaga Nature Park.

The Benamocarra–Iznate–Macharaviaya hiking route has a moderate level of difficulty, is approximately 11.6 kilometres long and takes about 3.5 to 4 hours.

Getting There

By car, Benamocarra can be reached via the A7, taking the Vélez-Málaga exit; the MA-3115 then continues to Benamocarra. A bus route connected Benamocarra with Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar.

You can find more town pages here: Los Llanos, Cártama, Alameda, Bobadilla-Estación, Mijas, Colmenar, Comares and Cortes De La Frontera.

For the higher-level travel overview: Málaga.