LANDSCAPE
An authentic, Spanish white washed village situated in :the heart of the Guadalhorce Valley . The town of Alora crowns a small hill over the Guadalhorce River. The castle's towers, once vigil to the comings and goings of men and inland merchandise, in the Bobastro domains, precides over the city, which shelters discretely between two small headlands and the powerful Hacho mountain (559 m). The scene on approaching the town is just breathtaking!!
The municipality extends over an ample territory in which there are the great formations of the Málaga relief. To the north of the Arco Calizo Central (the Antequera range), there is a spectacular landscape of the Sierra de Huma (1,191 m.) and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes (shared with the neighbouring municipalities of Antequera and Ardales). To the west of the Sierra de Aguas (949 m) the lands extend to the mountain complex of Serrania de Ronda, with a landscape of pine groves which goes from the Guadalhorce River to the roads which join Alora with Carratraca.
To the east of the Guadahorce, the landscape has smooth forms with small hills covered with cereals, some Olive trees and remains of the old Holm-Oak grove. It is the landscape of the natural corridor which crosses the province from Periana to Alora and separates the Antequera range from the Malaga mountains. These mountains also reach Alora in the western half of the territory, with its characteristic maze of hills, mainly covered in Olives, Almonds and thickets.
The peaceful sceneries of great beauty linger on with the scenes of fruit orchards, vegetables and orange trees which coat the bottom of the valley in green.
HISTORY
Aloras’ history goes back to pre-history in the Hoyo del Conde (Count’s plain), just over a kilometre from the city. The ecological environment (hunting, water, natural protection) favoured this presence until the Turdetans from Tartessos and the Phoenicians discovered the great commercial possibilities of the area. The Phoenicians made the castle’s foundations which the Romans later took advantage of, fortifying them.
The Romans left important marks on this land, from the milestone which showed the Roman road and on which the following inscription is written; Municipium Iluritanum (79 B.C.), to the diverse remains which prove that Alora was a Roman town with Latin rights, with the name of Iluro. From the then prosperous Alora, came governors and militaries who gave glory to the Empire, relief families who left their mark in Rome.
During the Visigide era, the fort’s nucleus must have been built, which later would be renovated and amplified by the Arabs, who, on entering the peninsula would soon arrive at Alora. The rebellion of Omar Ben Hafsun took place in this era, and due to its nearness to Bobastro, must have affected these lands in an important way.
During all the Middle Ages, the Christian royalty tried to take over the village of Alora, which resisted their attacks over and over again.
In one of these attacks, the governor of Andalusia, Don Diego de Rivera was killed at the foot of the walls in 1434. This was a tragic piece of news which was spread by the Romancero, (collection of ballads) with the well known ‘Romance of Alora’ which has been reproduced in its entirety on a plaque of the Castle. The square fell into the hands of the Catholic king's troops ie. The Crown of castile in 1484 when it was conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella.
A rebellion during the reign of Felipe II, on the part of the Moriscos ended with the sale of many of the rebels as prisoners.
It was the money raised from this that contributed to the building of the foundations of the Veracruz church. In the 16th and 17th century, Alora was given a favoured prosperity due to the presence of numerous distinguished people who came to live or visit. In 1628, Alora was segregated from the Municipality of Malaga ‘for ever, in a deed signed by Felipe IV.
ALORA TOWN
The historians tell us that the name is Latin in origin, and there is a stone in the parish church with the inscription "municipium iluritanun", dated 79 B.C
Leaving the new constructions to one side, the town keeps its typically Andalusian form, with very representative houses of popular architecture and significant samples of the economic drive it has enjoyed and still has. The urban nucleus extends over one side of the mountain over which the Castle rises, being the symbol of Alora. All that remains are two towers and a horseshoe archway, which is pointed and open in the wall
The name of the main street is so good they named it twice: Cervantes y Veracruz, and a stroll through the streets of Alora could well start in this main street. After crossing a small park the visitor then comes to the town centre, the Plaza Fuente Arriba (fountain at the top) a square which owes its name to its situation at the top end of the town, where the Town Hall is also to be found. This is also referred to as the upper plaza.
The old part of town starts here, and a tour could continue along Calle de Parra which is lined with the older, but well kept houses of Alora. A little further up is the monument to the "faenera", a name given to the women who used to pack the crops of lemons, oranges, plums and almonds, and the oil. From here, a slope leads down to Plaza Baja , the lower plaza, where the Encarnación church, the third biggest in the province is situated. This is the square by the house.
Alora has been populated since pre-historic times, to judge by the cave paintings found in the Cueva de Doña Trinidad in the Hoyo del Conde area about a kilometre outside the town.
• CEMETRY/CASTLE - All that remains for us to see of this complex is the castle-cemetery. The main chapel has a Gothic vault, known as The Towers in days gone by. The rest of the building has long since fallen down and became a cemetery for the people of the town. This is being moved though.
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• CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION/ NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA ENCARNACIÓN
This is the third largest church in the province. It is from the Iberian era and took a century to build (1600-1699) It was built on top of a mosque which existed in the Castle. Its interior is divided into three naves separated by thick stone columns covered by wooden armour with wooden arches on top. The style is 17th century mannerist.
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• FLORES CONVENT - The Convento de Flores is a religious building dating from the 16th century, with a single nave structured in timber. The chapel is Baroque in style.
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• HERMITAGE OF SANTA BRÍGIDA - Situated beside the railway station, this building dates from the 16th century, when the fresco inside was done.
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• CHAPEL OF LA VERACRUZ/ THE CAPILLA DEL CRISTO DE LA VERACRUZ - Erected to conmemorate the victory over the Moorish rebels. It is a small 16th century construction, irregular in floor plan and with notable restructuring carried out over the centuries, leaving us without any real idea of what the original was actually like.
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• THE HUMILLADERO CROSS - This is, in fact, not a cross but a building, situated near the Flores Convent, that commemorates the symbolic handing over of the keys of Álora by the last Moorish mayor to the Christian commander in 1484.
OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST
• archaeological interest are : Arroyo Hondo (deep brook), from the Iberian era ;
• the village and thermae of Canca, from the Roman era ;
• the necropolis of Carril de los Muertos (lane of the dead),
• and the village of Tesorillo (little treasure), both also Roman
• From a scenic point of view and even archaeological is the Chorro area, the Hacho and the Sierra de las Aguas. Mount Hacho is 559 metres high and gives a birds eye view of Álora and the valley.
• In this area you will also find the famous ‘caminito del Rey, the narrow and dangerous pathway that was built across the massive rock formation there.
• Continuing past the Garganta are three superb and unbelievably azure blue lakes surrounded by pine forests, in what is known as Andalucia’s lake district. Here you can swim, canoe and walk. The colour of these lakes are truly beautiful.
• Another interesting building is the chapel of Veracruz, a small 16th century construction, erected to commemorate the victory over the Moorish rebels.
• At two kilometers from the town centre, on a high, from which there are splendid panoramas of the Guadalhorce is the convent of Our Lady of the Flowers, built in the 16th century and restored in the 18th century
• EL TORCAL(35 km) a Nature Park the towering shapes of the rocks and limestone pillars forged by elements over the centuries.
• ANTEQUERA(35 km) The Romans settled in Antequera both in the city itself and in the newly discovered settlement of Singilia Barba to the west. But religion, particularly Christianity, gives the city its overriding character today. Nowhere can be seen so many churches, about 24 in all. The Moorish castle fell to the Christians in 1410 after a siege lasting 5 months.
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• THE LAKE OF FUENTE DE PIEDRA (38km)-One of the largest natural lakes in Spain, is also known as "The Pink Lagoon" because of the flocks of flamingos that arrive during their winter migration from Africa
• RONDA (50km) One of the most charming towns in the province. Dominated by the famous river gorge "El Tajo" dividing the medieval from the 18th century parts of the town . It was first a Celtic village, later the Roman "Laurus" and finally under the Arabs a rich provincial capital named "Hisn-Rand-Onda". The Moors lived in this privileged region almost until the fall of Granada. They finally capitulated in the year 1485 and handed it over to the Catholic Monarchs. Between the 16th and the 18th century it grew rapidly and during the 19th it underwent a period of stagnation
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• MALAGA THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE COSTA DEL SOL. was founded in the 8th century BC by the Phoenicians, who called it Malaka. Then it was taken by the Carthaginians, but it was the Romans who turned it into a city. The Arabs took Málaga in 711. In the 9th century, belonging to the Granada area and thanks to its strategic location, it became an important trade centre. After it was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487, the city began to be re-structured to transform the Arab city under the new Christian domination
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• MUSEUM PICASSO - located in the "La Judería" quarter (C/ San Agustin 8) of Malaga. Open since october 2003. There are permanent and temporary exhibitions, a library, am auditory and teaching center. Integrates as well the Museo de Bellas Artes with works of Murillo, Zurbarán and Picasso.
FIESTAS & ENTERTAINMENT
Visitors will often find cultural and relegious festivals going on in Álora and in the surrounding villages:
Good Friday Despedia, the leave taking of Good Friday
Easter: Semana Santa is a very interesting religious event
Sunday after the 8th of May: The pilgrimage to the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Flores
July : Festival of Cante Flamenco, Flamenco singing festiva
Early August: Paulino, are celebrated, with a cattle fair and numerous popular acts
Third wk of August In Malaga they celebrate the typical Summer Fair and Festivals, when
Their folklore reaches its splendour. Two of the main attractions are the flamenco dresses and the horse fair where you can see the best Andalusian horses.
September 8th Festival of the Virgin de las Flores
Among the local folklore are the fandango of Alora, the local dances which are never amiss in family celebrations, and songs to the plough, threshing and swinging.
Alora is considered to be the cradle of Malaga
Beaches: of Torremolinos/Fuengoral/Marbella all easily accessible by public transport or driving, less than an hour away.
If you want to stay locally, there is a public swimming pool, (open in summer time) and a sports stadium
The night life of the Costa del Sol is easily accessible. Howeve, there is a lot of fun to be had in the numerous bars around Alora
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