GET TO KNOW ALOZAINA
The village of Alozaina occupies a slightly elevated position on the western edge of the Guadalhorce Valley region. Its lands extend from the Rio Grande Valley (a tributary of the Guadalhorce) in the south to the summit of the Sierra Prieta in the north, thus bringing the lands of the valley into contact with the eastern mountains of the Serrania de Ronda. This allows Alozaina to enjoy a varied natural landscape, which finds its most beautiful spots on the slopes of the Sierra Prieta, especially that of La Ventanilla.
Alozaina, which means small fortress, a good and healthy place, Alozaina, seen in general view as a haughty and beautiful silhouette, marks the transition between the Hoya de Málaga and the Sierra. Its lands, rich in archaeological remains, harmoniously combine important crops of olives, fruit trees and cereals that sustain the local economy with the majesty of the Sierra Prieta, whose peak reaches an altitude of 1,525 metres.
Pascual Madoz mentioned it as follows in his Dictionary of Spain and its Overseas Possessions:
“…the mountain range called Prieta, offers from its summit the most pleasant point of view, because of the delightful places it overlooks at its feet, and a vast expanse; for from it one can see the Mediterranean, a large part of the coast of Africa, part of the city of Malaga, its castle of Gibralfaro and all its Hoya, the salt mine of Fuente Piedra and part of the Kingdom of Seville.”
Its coat of arms represents the action of María Sagredo, heroine of the Villa, who defended it by throwing hives of bees at the Moors, under the command of Zebali who were trying to take it, taking advantage of a time when it was only occupied by women, children and old people, during the rebellion of 1570.
There is no doubt that a visit to Alozaina requires sufficient time to stroll through its streets and corners, with the typical architecture of these mountain villages that make up our region. The locals, called pecheros, know this, and history, which called this village “a good and healthy place”, made Alozaina a special place to enjoy the friendly and welcoming relaxation of the land overlooking the valley.
Awards to the municipality
In 1977 Alozaina was awarded the 1st National Prize for the Beautification of the villages of Spain. Alozaina and its hamlet, the Valle de Jorox, a natural enclave with an unforgettable variety of landscapes, has cultivated splendid craftsmanship since ancient times and ancient trades, such as the forge, still survive in this municipality.
Alozaina offers a little bit of everything: dreamlike views, rich gastronomy, quality accommodation, living crafts, a farm school where children learn to live with nature, a rest house for lovers of the spiritual life, a festive cycle that is characterized by being one of the richest in the region, original is the Carnival of the Flour; the pecheros are floured in the midst of a great frolic and festive atmosphere.
Exact location
Belonging to the region of Sierra de las Nieves, Alozaina is located at an altitude of 386 m above sea level, with an area of 34 km² and a latitude of 36° 43′ and a longitude of -4º 51′, located 50 km NW of the capital of the province, MÁLAGA, the average annual temperature is 17 °C and it has 2300 inhabitants.
Alozaina is bordered to the north and northwest by the municipality of Casarabonela, to the west by the municipality of Coín, to the south by the municipality of Guaro, to the southeast by the municipality of Tolóx and to the east by the municipality of Yunquera.
Gentilicio
The gentilicio is Pecheros and Pecheras: obliged to pay or contribute with chest, that is to say, with taxes. Not everyone had to make these kinds of payments, only those who belonged to the lowest stratum of society, which is why people in this situation were called pecheros.
A bit of history
FROM THE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD
It is interesting to begin by mentioning the existence of numerous fossil remains: nummulites, trilobites… in what was the lake or sea of Los Gavilanes, remains of that sea of Thetis from the Secondary era, around which the first settlers of the area settled.
The first remains of habitat were found in the area of Joróx, in the “Cueva del Algarrobo o de las vacas”, where hunting tools from the Solutrense period of the Upper Palaeolithic were found, and in the “Cueva de la Mesa” a burial site and two gold trumpets from the Bronze Age were discovered, which are in the Archaeological Museum of Málaga.
IBERIANS
From the Iberian or perhaps Phoenician period, tombs have been found with decorated vessels and other objects.
ROMANS
The Romans also left their mark in the area of El Monte (Albar): a column and a kind of altar, and Roman remains were also found in the area of Ardite.
It is still not known how the settlement of ALBAR, which is located on the road from Casarabonela to Alozaina, came into being, and we only know its name.
MUSLIM PERIOD
With the arrival of the Muslims, the watchtowers of Ardite and ALOZAINA were built, which would become a small fortress, the origin of the present-day village of Alozaina.
The Mozarabic Christians left evidence of a settlement, perhaps a continuation of Albar, in the present-day area of HOYOS DE LOS PEÑONES: a “Mozarabic Hermitage” and a “Necropolis” from the 11th century.
There is documentary evidence of ALHOSAYNA and JORIN or JOROL from the 9th and 10th centuries.
The etymology of the word “Alozaina” is diverse: some give it the meaning of a healthy and temperate place, others of a small fortress, and others as a derivative of a woman’s name, feminine of Husein el bueno (Husein the good), meaning the good.
The Muslims, in addition to the castle and the urban form of the old town, left us an aqueduct coming from the Albar area along the old road to Casarabonela, with a clay and tile irrigation channel.
During the Arab domination, the urban centre evolved and new houses were built around the walls of the fortress.
Its economy was based on agriculture: sultanas, figs, oil mills, almonds and above all citrus fruits, especially in Joróx, where we have the current irrigation system, and even one of its irrigation channels is called Acequia del Moro (Moorish irrigation channel).
All this happiness would be cut short by the Reconquest of the Catholic Monarchs. On 20 June 1484, after the surrender of Álora, the Marquis of Cádiz sent his brother Diego and the commander of Arcos to take possession of the town of Alozaina, and on the 21st the alfaquíes of the town capitulated, ordering them to keep their goods and estates.
On returning from this embassy and in order to join the troops of the Marquis of Cádiz, who were laying siege to Casarabonela, a skirmish took place in which the “lozano Count Don Gutiérrez de Soto Mayor”, Count of Belalcázar, a young man dear to the kings and married to a cousin of the monarch, was killed.
THE CHRISTIANS
Suspecting the involvement of some of the Moors of Alozaina, a large part of their lands were burnt and felled as a punishment, which led to the depopulation of the town, which was repopulated with Old Christians between 1485 and 1490 by Royal Charter.
In 1498 the parish of Alozaina was founded, dependent on the parish of Casarabonela until the 16th century, under the name of Santa María.
The tower of Alozaina and a large part of its lands were granted to Garci Fernández Manrique, which would be enjoyed by his descendants, the Counts of Frigiliana and the Dukes of Montellano.
It was at this time that the name “PECHEROS” was coined, with which the inhabitants of Alozaina are known. The word “Pechero” comes from the tribute “pecho”, the first to pay taxes.
12TH OCTOBER 1492
The town of Alozaina is declared a municipality in Seville.
In 1494 the Mayorazgo of Don Enrique de Lara was created, which together with the lands of the governors of Yunquera and Tolóx occupied 85% of its jurisdiction, with its inhabitants barely having enough to eat, which led to it being repopulated for the second time.
We know of the poor situation of its inhabitants from the letter that the RRCC sent to Malaga, ordering the inhabitants to keep their status as such and not to leave (1502).
8 JULY 1568: THE COURAGE OF MARIA SAGREDO
600 Moorish rebels under the command of Lorenzo Alfaquí and el Jubeli attacked the town of Alozaina, when most of its inhabitants were in the fields harvesting bread. There were no more than seven men, women and children in the place, when the population was around three hundred.
Faced with the Moorish attack, they took refuge in the castle, and the women, encouraged by the men, acted as brave men, coming to the defence of the walls with hats and monteras on their heads and dressed in their capotillos, so that the enemy would believe that it was the men who were defending the fortress.
The bravery of a maiden called María Sagredo stood out, who, seeing her father MARTIN DOMÍNGUEZ fallen from a shotgun hit by a Moor, came to him, put on her capotillo and a trap on her head and, with her crossbow in one hand and quiver in the other, climbed up the wall, defended the fortress, defended it with a crossbow in one hand and a quiver in the other, He climbed up the wall, defended the gate, killed a Moor and wounded many others with a crossbow, and threw beehives at them, which made them flee while they exclaimed, “Mary, the flies of your land are biting”.
This feat led King Philip II to appoint her an Ensign of the Spanish Thirds and to give her some Moorish estates in Tolox for her marriage.
This fact is recorded in the coat of arms of Alozaina.
The current religious Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of the Santísimo Sacramento, Santa Vera Cruz and Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno were born in the 16th century, and during these four centuries they have had a singular importance in the life of the village.
19TH CENTURY
During the 19th century, of the 2,400 bushels of land in the municipality, more than half belonged to the Duchess of Montellano and of the remaining land belonging to the villagers, part of it was owned by the Duchess.
In 1864 the current Music Band was founded by a teacher called Francisco Sánchez and at the end of the 19th century a newspaper “El Reformista Administrativo” was created, whose director was F. Martín de la Cruz.
In 1998 and specifically on 15th February, the first Spanish referendum was held in Alozaina on the reduction of the working week to 35 hours, being widely supported by the residents of the village.