MEET ALOZAINA
The town of Alozaina occupies a slightly elevated position on the western edge of the Guadalhorce Valley Region. Its lands extend from the Río Grande Valley (tributary of the Guadalhorce), in the south, to the summit of Sierra Prieta, in the north, thus connecting the lands of the Valley with the eastern mountains of the Serranía de Ronda. . This allows Alozaina to enjoy a varied natural landscape, which finds its most beautiful places on the slopes of Sierra Prieta, especially that of Ventanilla.
Alozaina, which means small fortress, good and healthy place, of Alozaina, general view, 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 olive trees, fruit trees and cereals that support the local economy with the majesty of Sierra Prieta, whose summit reaches 1,525 meters of altitude.
Pascual Madoz mentioned us in the following way in the Dictionary of Spain and its Overseas Possessions:
“…the mountain called Prieta, offers from its summit the most pleasant point of view, due to the delicious sites that it overlooks at its feet, and for a wide extension; Because from there you can discover the Mediterranean, a large portion of the coast of Africa, part of the city of Malaga, its castle of Gibralfaro and all of its Hoya, the salt mine of Fuente Piedra and part of the Kingdom of Seville.”
Its shield represents the action of María Sagredo, heroine of the town, who defended it by throwing bee hives 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 the elderly, during the rebellion of 1570.
There is no doubt that a visit to Alozaina requires enough time to walk through its streets and corners, with the typical architecture of these mountain towns that make up our region. The neighbors, called pecheros, know it, and the history, which called this town “a good and healthy place,” turned Alozaina into a special corner to enjoy the friendly and welcoming rest of the land that overlooks the valley.
Municipal awards
In 1977, Alozaina was awarded the 1st National Prize for Beautification of the towns of Spain. Alozaina and its district, the Jorox Valley, a natural enclave with an unforgettable variety of landscapes, has cultivated since ancient times splendid artisanal work that persists in this municipality, ancient crafts, such as the forge.
Alozaina offers a little bit of everything: national park, dreamlike views, rich gastronomy, quality accommodation, living craftsmanship, a rest house for lovers of spiritual life, a festive cycle that is characterized by being one of the richest in the region. , original is the Flour Carnival; The breasts are floured in the midst of great merriment and festive atmosphere.
Exact location
Belonging to the Sierra de las Nieves Region, Alozaina is located at a height of 386 m above sea level, having an area of 34 km² and a latitude of 36° 43′ and longitude -4º 51′, located 50 km to the NW. of the Capital of the Province, MÁLAGA, the average annual temperature is 17 °C and it has 2,300 inhabitants.
Alozaina limits to the North and NW with the municipality of Casarabonela, to the West is the municipality of Coín, bordering the municipality of Guaro to the South, to the SE with the municipality of Tolóx and to the East with the Municipality of Yunquera.
Demonym
The name is Pecheros y Pecheras: it refers to being compliant in payments, obliged to pay or contribute with chest, that is, with taxes. Not everyone had to make these kinds of payments, only those who belonged to the lowest class of society, hence people in this situation were called pecheros.
A little history
SINCE THE PALEOLITHIC
It is interesting to start by citing the existence of numerous fossil remains: nummulites, trilobites... in what was the Gavilanes lake or sea, remains of that Tethys sea from the Secondary era and around which the first settlers of the area settled. .
The first remains of habitat were found in the district of Joróx, in the “Cueva del Algarrobo or de las vacas”, where hunting tools from the Solutrean period of the Upper Paleolithic were found, and in the “Cueva de la Mesa” a burial site was discovered. and two golden trumpets from the Bronze Age, which are in the Archaeological Museum of Malaga.
IBERIANS
From the time of the Iberians or perhaps Phoenician, tombs with decorated vessels and other objects have been found.
ROMANS
The Romans also left their mark on us in the Monte district (Albar area): a column and a kind of altar and Roman remains were also found in the Ardite district.
It is still unknown how the town of ALBAR emerged, which would be located on the road from Casarabonela to Alozaina 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 current town of Alozaina.
The Mozarabic Christians left evidence of a settlement, perhaps a continuation of Albar, in the current district of HOYOS DE LOS PEÑONES: a "Mozarabic Hermitage" and a "Necropolis" from the 16th century. XI.
From the 9th and 10th centuries there are documentary reports of ALHOSAYNA and JORIN or JOROL.
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 derived from a woman's name, feminine of Hussein the good, so it would mean 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 Casarabonela road, with a clay and tile irrigation ditch.
During Arab domination, the urban center evolved, with new houses being built around the walls of the fortress.
Its economy was based on agriculture: raisins, fig ceretes, oil mills, almonds and especially citrus fruits, especially in Joróx, where the current irrigation has remained, and even one of its irrigation ditches is called Acequia del Moro.
All this happiness would be cut short by the Reconquest of the Catholic Monarchs. On June 20, 1484, Álora surrendered, the Marquis of Cádiz sent his brother Diego and the warden of Arcos to take possession of the town of Alozaina, capitulating on the 21st the alfaquíes of the town, ordering them to preserve their property and estates.
Upon the return of 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 "count lozano Don Gutiérrez de Soto Mayor", count of Belalcázar, a young man, died. beloved of the kings and married to a cousin of the monarch.
THE CHRISTIANS
Suspecting the participation of some Moors from Alozaina, a large part of their lands were burned and cut down as punishment, which caused a depopulation of the town, which was repopulated with Old Christians between 1485 and 1490 through a Royal Charter.
In 1498 the parish of Alozaina was founded, dependent on that of Casarabonela until the 16th century, with the name of Santa María.
The Alozaina tower and a large part of its lands were granted to Garci Fernández Manrique, which his descendants, the Counts of Frigiliana and the Dukes of Montellano, would enjoy.
It is on these dates when the adjective "PECHEROS" was coined, which refers to the inhabitants of Alozaina. The word "Pechero" comes from the tribute "pecho", the first to pay taxes.
OCTOBER 12, 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 is why it was repopulated for the second time.
We know of the bad situation of its neighbors from the letter that the RRCC sent to Malaga, ordering that the neighbors maintain their status as such and not leave (1502).
JULY 8, 1568: THE COURAGE OF MARÍA SAGREDO
600 rebellious Moors, under the command of Lorenzo Alfaquí and the Jubeli, attacked the town of Alozaina, when the majority of its inhabitants were in the field harvesting bread. There were no more than seven men, women and children in the place, when the population was about three hundred inhabitants.
Faced with the attack of the Moors, they took refuge in the castle, and the women, encouraged by the men, did the job of hard-working men, going to defend the walls with hats and monteras on their heads and dressed in their capotillos, so that The enemy believed that it was the men who defended the fortress.
He highlighted the courage of a maiden named María Sagredo, who, seeing MARTIN DOMÍNGUEZ, her father, fallen from a shotgun fired by a Moor, came to him, put on her cape and a helmet on her head and with the crossbow in one hand. hand and the quiver in the other, he climbed the wall, defended the gate, killed a Moor and wounded many others with an arrow and launched some beehives at them that made them flee while each exclaimed "Mary, who stings the flies from your land.
This feat earned her the appointment of Alférez de los Tercios by King Philip II and giving her some Moorish estates in Tolóx for her marriage.
This fact is recorded in the Heraldic Shield of Alozaina.
In this 16th century, the current religious Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of the Blessed Sacrament, of the Holy True Cross and of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno emerged, which during these four centuries have had singular importance in the life of the people.
XIX 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 rest belonging to the neighbors, part of them had censuses in favor of the Duchess.
In 1864 the current Music Band was founded by a teacher named 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 February 15, the first Spanish referendum on the reduction of the working day to 35 hours a week was held in Alozaina, being widely supported by the residents of the town.