Cuevas De San Marcos: Nature, Trails and History

Landscape between Rock and Water

The slopes of the Falla de la Sierra del Camorro contain caves and traces of settlements dating from prehistoric times.

The Genil River runs through Cuevas de San Marcos and forms the Iznájar Reservoir. The linear trail “Valle del Genil y presa del Pantano de Iznájar” is 3,216 metres long and is located in Cuevas de San Marcos. Its name refers to this landscape.

Trails and Activities

A second trail in Cuevas de San Marcos is the circular route “Falla de la Sierra del Camorro”. It is 4,631 metres long and therefore has its own clearly specified route length. The two trails already differ in their names, their form and their respective lengths.

The Bike Territory Sierra Norte de Málaga offers cycling tourism routes through several municipalities, including Cuevas De San Marcos. In the participating municipalities of the Bike Territory Sierra Norte de Málaga, including Cuevas De San Marcos, there are centres with changing rooms, showers, car parks and areas where cycling travellers can hire equipment.

Cuevas de San Marcos also has several via ferratas.

Historical Traces around Belda and Camorro

The remains from the Arab period at Cerro del Camorro, also known as Cerro del Chamorro, include a castle ruin or castle site, paved areas, sections of plastered walls and numerous cord-decorated ceramics from the 13th and 14th centuries. Cueva de Belda contains remains of the megalithic culture. These include the menhir near Las Cruces, locally known as the “stone child”. A menhir is an upright stone.

Belda also reaches far back into historical records: Ptolemy mentioned the village of Belda in 298 BC. Coffins, amphorae and coins from the late imperial period found in Belda are regarded as evidence of a significant Roman settlement. The Ermita del Carmen in Cuevas De San Marcos is an 18th-century hermitage. A hermitage is a religious place of retreat.

Festivals, Customs and Cuisine

The San Marcos celebrations in Cuevas De San Marcos begin with a church service, a triduum and rogation processions for rain. A triduum is a three-day sequence of religious celebrations. Prayers with very ancient origins are preserved and passed on as part of these celebrations. A separate custom is called “tying up the devil”: villagers tie a knot in a handful of grass or straw without breaking the stalks.

The culinary side of Cuevas De San Marcos includes a traditional soup made with broad beans, egg and coriander. Thus, alongside the landscape, trails and historical traces, a local festival, a handed-down custom and a specific regional dish represent the different facets of the town.

Other destinations in the surrounding area: Villanueva De Algaidas, Villanueva De Tapia, Los Llanos, La Cala del Moral, Bermejo, Mondrón, Coín and Marbella.

For the overarching travel overview: Málaga.