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Javier Almellones
Malaga
Monday, 7 October 2024, 15:29
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After heavy rains in the surrounding area, the village of Villanueva de la Concepción in Malaga province began to slide away. A landslide caused cracks in a number of houses and it took almost a decade to stop this slow but worrying landslide which could have seen the end of the centre of the village.
Formerly belonging to Antequera, Villanueva de la Concepción became independent from the town 15 years ago. Its layout seems relatively young, but Villanueva de la Concepción is a village with a long history. Perhaps not so much with its current name, but with that of historical enclaves such as Oscua or Jévar. In addition to various Neolithic finds, there was an Iberian settlement called Osqva, which later came under Roman rule.
There is evidence of these first settlers thanks to various archaeological finds. The most important of recent years is surely the sculpture of an Iberian lion found by chance only a few months ago on a local resident's land.
Although it is officially in the municipality of Antequera, another important enclave related to the history of Villanueva is Jévar castle. Nowadays little more than a ruin, this bastion was fundamental in the defence of the city of Los Dólmenes at the beginning of the 15th century.
But beyond these two historical precedents, Villanueva de la Concepción is a village known for preserving structures from one of the historical routes that connected Malaga city with Antequera. These are the bridges that were ordered to be built in the 18th century during the reign of Carlos III to reinforce what is known as the Camino Real (royal road).
Three bridges remain today. They are Horcajo, Paraíso and Garrayo (also known as the Siete Ojos). The first of these is the easiest to visit, as the road that connects the village with Casabermeja or Almogía still passes over it. It is an ideal place to stop and see the strategic situation of the village, located just a few metres above, with the backdrop of El Torcal.
In fact, today Villanueva de la Concepción offers two routes to El Torcal. One was approved three years ago and takes you up the hillside to the visitor centre. The lesser-known Escaleruela trail, which today forms part of the Mozarabic way, starts at the Cortijo de la Torre, a neighbourhood of Villanueva de la Concepción, and leads to what was once a real customs post between the Christian and Andalusian territories.
On the same Jacobean route, Villanueva de la Concepción not only links up with Antequera via the Escaleruela del Torcal, but also joins the neighbouring village of Almogía for another stage, on a route that partly follows the old Camino Real de Carlos III.
In addition to these and other local trails, Villanueva de la Concepción also offers other attractions. It is worth visiting two of its most important rural districts, Pastelero and Santa María del Cerro, both located to the west.
The first of these is a centuries-old neighbourhood on the road to Almogía, which boasts two traditional inns offering a good, value-for-money menu and even an artisan bakery. Santa María del Cerro, on the other hand, is a group of rural houses where there is an artisanal Malaga goat's cheese dairy which sells a variety of excellent dairy products.
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