Rincón de la Victoria to celebrate 191st anniversary

Rincón de la Victoria town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol is celebrating the 191st anniversary of the municipality’s establishment on 28 August 1835, the date on which Benagalbón separated from Moclinejo and came to have its own town hall. Benagalbón was its first headquarters, until the municipal authority moved permanently to Rincón de la Victoria in 1950.

This celebration highlights this important historical event and the role of Benagalbón as a fundamental part of Rincón de la Victoria’s heritage and identity. The event will take place on 28 August with a series of activities starting at 8.30pm at the Centro de Estudios del Folclore Malagueño de Benagalbón (centre for the study of Malaga folklore in Benagalbón).

This year’s programme will include a tribute to the archaeologist Juan Bautista Salado Escaño, the current director of the Nerja Museum, in recognition of his professional career and his contribution to the study, research and the promotion of the region’s historical and archaeological heritage.

The mayor of Rincón de la Victoria, Francisco Salado, said: “Celebrating this anniversary means looking back at our roots and recognising the immense value of Benagalbón’s history as a fundamental part of Rincón de la Victoria’s identity.”

With regard to this year’s honouree, the mayor highlighted “the work carried out over much of his career in the study and promotion of Malaga’s heritage, as well as his special connection with our municipality”. In this regard, he emphasised his involvement in various archaeological projects, including those carried out at the Roman villa of Torre de Benagalbón, where he directed the excavation.

Salado went on to say: “Benagalbón possesses an extraordinary wealth of history and culture that we must continue to promote and pass on to future generations. Commemorating 191 years of the town’s history is also a way of reaffirming the pride its residents take in belonging to this community.”

The event will be attended by representatives from the town hall and Benagalbón’s cultural and community organisations and will serve to pay tribute to Juan Bautista Salado Escaño, whose career as an archaeologist and his work as director of the Nerja Museum have made him a leading figure in the research and promotion of the heritage of the Axarquía and the province of Málaga.

The latest honours have been awarded to the journalist Andrés García Maldonado; the town’s historian and chronicler, Miguel Alba; the librarian Toñi Domínguez; and the researcher Pedro Cantalejo.

Juan Bautista Salado Escaño (Benagalbón, 1972) is the youngest of three siblings. He studied History at the University of Malaga and holds a Master’s degree in Museology from the Ibero-American Institute of Museology.

An archaeologist specialising in the Al-Andalus period, he is currently the director of the Nerja Museum. Throughout his professional career, he has carried out extensive work in the research, conservation and promotion of the historical and archaeological heritage of the province of Malaga.

Known affectionately as ‘Juanbu’, he has devoted much of his career to the study, protection and promotion of heritage, with a particular focus on Benagalbón and its archaeological heritage.

“Juanbu is someone who has devoted much of his career to studying, protecting and promoting our heritage. His work and his commitment to archaeology and culture make him a well-deserved figurehead for this commemoration,” said the mayor, Francisco Salado.