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When a holiday in the south of Spain takes you back in time
Travel

When a holiday in the south of Spain takes you back in time

See more of Malaga province and learn about its past at the same time by following these three routes into the worlds of bandits, flamenco and literature

Jennie Rhodes / Tony Bryant

Malaga

Friday, 22 December 2023, 17:56

On the bandit trail

While paying to be held up by a bandit is not top of the list these days, for nineteenth century holidaymakers, it was a must

The main attractions of Andalucía since the middle of the 20th century may have been sun, sea and sangría, but for the intrepid travellers of the nineteenth century it was the possibility of being held up by one of southern Spain’s notorious bandits that became quite the tourist attraction. In fact, it is said that when tourists, and especially women, from northern Europe started coming to Andalucía, some even paid to have themselves confronted by a bandit. There were accounts of ladies being disappointed if they were not cheated out of their jewels by one of the charming outlaws. Penny novels and cigarette cards produced at the time enhanced their romantic and heroic Robin Hood-like image.

While the average traveller to Spain is unlikely to come across bandits hiding in the hills in 2023, following in their footsteps through the whitewashed villages where they were born and committed some of their crimes is a fun and interesting way to explore Andalucía.

Among the most notorious 19th-century bandits was José María Hinojosa Cabacho ‘El Tempranillo’, born in Jauja (Cordoba province) on 21 June 1805. He was so-called as he killed his first victim at the tender age of 13; ‘temprano’ means early in Spanish.

El Tempranillo quickly became famous for his charm, once telling a woman traveller ‘Ah, señora! A hand so beautiful as yours does not need adornments!’ while relieving the blushing traveller of her rings and other jewellery, before kissing her hand and biding her a safe journey onward.

He died in the neighbouring village of Alameda (Malaga province) 28 years later. It is worth noting that our heroes lived fast and died young - they were either caught by the police or killed by rival bandits.

The Axarquía

Another village which hides secrets of these illustrious villains is Alfarnate in the Axarquía (east of Malaga) which was a favourite haunt of El Tempranillo and his contemporaries. La Venta de Alfarnate, a traditional roadside inn, is well worth a visit.

Dating back to the 13th century, it is the oldest ‘venta’ or roadside inn in Andalucía and is situated on the old Malaga to Granada ‘camino real’ (royal highway), making it an easy target for bandits, including El Tempranillo and El Bizco who were regular visitors, often holding up travellers between the two cities.

Another Axarquía village on the trail is El Borge, which is not only the birthplace of ‘El Bizco de Arborge’ (1837 - 1889), but also the Galería del Bandolero which houses Andalucía’s biggest collection of artefacts related to banditry. It opened earlier this year having acquired the entire collection of objects from the bandit museum in Ronda, which closed in 2020.

It was in the Posada del Bandolero in El Borge, a former mill, where ‘El Bizco’ (meaning the cross-eyed one) was born. The posada is now a small hotel and restaurant which still has the old millstone as a centrepiece as well as a number of artefacts, pictures and documents about the romantic age of banditry in Malaga province.

Serranía de Ronda and Écija

One of the most famous gangs was christened ‘Los Siete Niños de Écija’ (the seven children of Écija-despite not actually being children, nor were there seven of them). They weren’t actually from Écija, a town in Seville province near the border withMalaga, although they were all relatively young and they operated around the town and in the area between Écija and Ronda,.

One of the most famous members of the gang was bullfighter-turned-bandit José Ulloa ‘El Tragabuches’. He was trained by Bartolomé Romero, who belonged to one of the most famous bullfighting families in Spain at the time.

One afternoon in 1802, when José Ulloa was on his way to Malaga to fight in a bullfight, he changed his journey to return to Ronda, having heard that his wife had been unfaithful. He killed both his wife and her lover.

It was for this crime of passion that he began his life as a bandit, joining the ‘Siete Niños de Écija’ and escaping to the Serranía de Ronda.

Despite his origins in Cordoba, El Tempranillo also became famous in the Serranía de Ronda where he was also one of the ‘siete niños’.

El Burgo

Born in the town of El Burgo (Ronda) in 1874, Juan José Mingolla Gallardo, or ‘Pasos Largos’ meaning long steps, is known as the last Andalusian bandit. In 1901 his mother died and his father looked after him, the two living a hard life of working the land and poaching. Already used to avoiding the Guardia Civil, he was accused of killing two men - a father and son in 1916, forcing him to flee, like Tragabuches and El Tempranillo before him, to the Serranía de Ronda. However, he was caught in Ronda in 1917 and imprisoned for kidnapping. In 1932 he was pardoned. However, he returned to the Serranía de Ronda where in 1934 he was shot dead by the Guardia Civil.

Andalucía hides endless legends and secrets of these ‘romantic bandits’ and a great starting point is the Galería del Bandolero in El Borge, which has information in Spanish and English. To follow in the footsteps of some of Andalucía’s most notorious bandits and for information on routes to follow: www.andalucia.org.

Flamenco footsteps

Malaga province, an important cradle of the fandango, offers plenty of reminders of its connection to the art of flamenco

The history of flamenco, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in 2010, is complex and extremely confusing, but one thing that is certain is that its roots are firmly embedded in the dry, cracked soil of Andalucía. All eight provinces have played their part in the evolution of this predominantly, although not exclusively, Gypsy art, and most cities and towns have preserved their achievements, along with the names of their celebrated performers, with monuments, plaques, street names and flamenco clubs.

The province of Malaga is an important cradle of the fandango, a style that derived from the ancient folk songs and dances known as verdiales, which originate from Los Verdiales, an olive-farming region in the mountains that surround Malaga.

A good place to start on a tour of the province’s important flamenco areas is Vélez-Málaga, birthplace of singer and guitarist Juan Breva, who was responsible for popularising the Malagueña, a style of fandango favoured by non-Gypsy singers of his era.

Born Antonio Ortega Escalona in Vélez-Málaga in 1844, Breva was the first flamenco performer to sing at the royal palace in front of the king and queen of Spain.

The town has honoured his memory with a bronze statue located next to the Teatro del Carmen, which was erected in 1970. The statue, the work of Malaga artist Jaime Pimentel, depicts Breva sitting on a high-backed chair playing a guitar in the classical flamenco pose.

Most towns will have a ‘peña flamenca’ (flamenco club), and the one in Vélez-Málaga is named after one of the town’s most admired guitarists, El Niño de Vélez. Opened in 1981, this traditional club is a great place to learn about local performers and song styles. Most peñas will have photographs, newspaper clippings, trophies and memorabilia relating to the town’s legacy; and the locals will be only too pleased to discuss it with visitors.

The club dedicated to Juan Breva, founded in 1958, can be found in the heart of Malaga city, (Calle Ramón Franquelo), attached to which is the museum that also bears his name. The core of the museum’s collection is made up of memorabilia related to Malaga’s flamenco luminaries. It includes photographs and paintings of singers like El Piyayo and La Repompilla, both renowned for their interpretations of the ‘tangos de Malaga’. There are also old recordings dating back to the 19th century, posters of previous festivals and singing competitions, and clothing, canes and dancing shoes, although what stands out is the magnificent collection of guitars.

The Juan Breva Museum in Malaga offers plenty of flamenco memorabilia. SUR

Malaga was also home to Café El Chinitas, an establishment, that, although it no longer exists, has gone down in flamenco history. Some of the greatest singers of the late 19th and early 20th century performed at this venue, including Don Antonio Chacón, La Argentinita and, of course, Juan Breva. The site of the old theatre, which is in Pasaje El Chinitas (off Calle Larios), has been marked by a ceramic plaque that also records that it was a favourite haunt of poet Federico García Lorca.

Just a short walk from there, in Calle Moreno Monroy, one will find El Mesón de Chinitas, The exterior displays interesting ceramics with poems referring to Malaga’s flamenco tradition, especially what Manuel Machado termed ‘Málaga Cantaora’, while the inside walls are decorated with paintings and photographs of some of Malaga’s finest flamenco artists, such as El Príncipe Gitano, Miguel de los Reyes, La Paula and Chiquito de la Calzada.

Another must-see establishment is Bodegas El Pimpi, an old tavern that has had a long association with flamenco. Many of the top flamenco performers have passed through this nostalgic venue, and there are plenty of ceramic plaques, photographs and memorabilia that record them.

Cradle of the Malagueña

Another Malaga town famed for the fandangos is Álora, perched high in the mountains of the Guadalhorce valley. Known as the cradle of the Malagueña, this town was the birthplace of singers like Juan de la Cruz Reyes Osuna - El Canario, El Perote, Joaquín Tabaco and El Cachorro.

One of the most impressive monuments is the Monumento al Cante por Malagueñas. (Plaza del Dr Francisco Zamudio). The statue is located in a fountain, with stone monoliths engraved with the names of the most outstanding singers from Malaga. The monument is crowned by a bronze guitar wrapped in a shawl.

Other places of interest are the old house in Calle Carmona (14), which is where El Canario was born; the house in Calle de Atras (14), where folklorist and flamenco specialist Pepe Rosas lived; and Plaza Fuente Arriba, the location of the old Taberna Ciriña, where El Perote often performed. A master of the malagueñas, El Perote was given the title of Hijo Predilecto (favourite son) during a memorial service organised by the town hall and the Peña Juan Breva in 1996.

Information about Álora’s top performers and the town’s association with the verdiales and the fandango can be obtained at the local flamenco peña (Calle de Santa Ana), which also displays a genealogical tree of the town’s incredible wealth of flamenco artists.

The path of 19th-century writers

Three renowned foreign literary figures found inspiration while visiting Andalucía, especially in Granada, Malaga and Seville

The mysteries and ambience of Andalucía mesmerised numerous foreign writers who travelled across the region on donkey-back during the 19th century. Many of these were fascinated by the Islamic legacy to be found in places like Granada, and the cultural traditions in Malaga - especially Ronda - and Seville.

The region’s literary roots go back to Muslim Spain. The late 10th and early 11th centuries were a period of great writers and poets, especially in Cordoba, which was the major centre of literature and education; the city also boasted one of the greatest libraries in the world.

Some foreign literary figures based their works on the delights of the Arabic era, while others looked to the legends, or typical characters, to weave their stories around.

Their observations are among the most important works to be written about Andalucía, because they offer a glimpse into the cultural, social and political scene of the region from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century.

Some of the first foreigners to arrive in Andalucía during the first half of the 19th century included Washington Irving, Prosper Mérimée and Hans Christian Anderson, all of whom spoke of its grandeur, elegance and the colossal architectural legacy that was to be found in this “paradise of the senses”.

These foreign writers found Andalucía’s longstanding association with mysterious Gypsies and their music and dance, bullfighting and the infamous highwaymen too romantic to ignore.

The picturesque town of Ronda is still one of the main destinations on the itinerary of the romantic traveller’s tour of Andalucía. Renowned for its panoramic views of the Serranía de Ronda, this iconic town has featured in the works of many of the ‘romantics’, as they were known.

Often referred to as the “first tourist in Seville”, Washington Irving, author of classic works like Sleepy Hollow, made a rambling journey across Andalucía in 1821. He wrote Tales of the Alhambra, one of his most admired works, while staying at the Nasrid Alhambra Palace in Granada.

Designed by the regional government, the Washington Irving Route follows a historical trade route between the Nasrid kingdom of Granada and Seville. The itinerary revives the path taken on horseback by Irving in 1829. From Seville, the route meanders through rural towns and villages such as Carmona, Marchena and Osuna, then crosses the border of Malaga, stopping off in Antequera and Archidona, and on to the route’s destination, Granada.

Irving was one of the first American writers to make his mark in Europe. It was while visiting the region that he also came across Ronda, and he was immediately captivated by its beauty.

Irving’s visit to Ronda is one of several that have been recorded on a decorative tiled wall. These also include observations left by Benjamin Disraeli, Richard Ford and Prosper Mérimée, among others.

Prosper Mérimée based part of his novella Carmen in Ronda. Set to a backdrop of the tobacco factory and backstreet taverns in Seville and the mountain ranges of Ronda, the story is spun around the seedy world of the nineteenth-century Andalusian Gypsies. The novella embodies the spirit of Seville and focuses on a love story about a naïve soldier called Don José, who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery Gypsy called Carmen.

Mérimée’s fiery Gypsy route

Seville city hall has created a Carmen route, which is marked by ceramic plaques recording certain locations that are mentioned in the story. These include the tobacco factory (which now houses Seville University) and the old prison located nearby, the Lillas Pastia tavern in Calle de Agua, the Puerta de la Carne military barracks, and Calle Candilejos, the street where Carmen enjoyed her romantic dalliances.

The tobacco factory in Seville where Mérimée set Carmen. SUR

Scandinavian poet, playwright and author of numerous fairy tales Hans Christian Andersen is, perhaps, a surprising figure to be associated with Andalucía. He was also a travel writer, and along with books about Sweden, Italy, Turkey and Greece, an English-language account of his Spanish travels was published in 1870.

The statue of Hans Christian Andersen in Malaga. SUR

Malaga captured his heart when he arrived in 1862. He stayed at the Fonda Oriental, from which he noted the bustling street life of the Alameda. He remarked on the “lopsided”cathedral, and the harbour, which he described as an “airy, fluttering Moorish hall”. He was said to have succumbed to the spell of the English cemetery’s romantic melancholy, writing, “I wandered in a little paradise, this charming garden. Here were myrtle hedges, covered with flowers sufficient for a thousand bridal wreaths.”

In order to commemorate his stay in Malaga, a bronze statue of the writer relaxing on a bench was installed in Plaza de la Marina in 2005.

Andersen wrote, “In no other Spanish city have I felt as happy and at ease as in Malaga.”

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