Travelling back through time in the Axarquía

Miradas de Frigiliana (Views of Frigiliana) is a new exhibition that looks back over the last five decades of life in the Axarquía village, on the eastern side of Malaga province. It documents the changes the village has witnessed and the people that have lived there. The exhibition includes 53 snapshots from the Nerja Museum's collection.

The images belonged to the photographers Paco García and Pepe Pascual, who died in May 2012. The exhibition, organised by the Oleo Frigiliana association, is open until the end of January 2024 in Sala Placituela, located at 80 Calle Real; the former town hall building.

Frigiliana is considered one of the prettiest villages in Andalucía. Its privileged location, in the foothills of the Sierra Almijara mountains and just a stone's throw from the popular coastal resort of Nerja, make it a magnet for tourists. According to the town hall 'padrón', or census register, the village is home to just over 3,300 inhabitants, although there are many more unregistered foreign residents.

Its historic quarter known as 'Barribarto' is one of the places that attracts most visitors thanks to its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses which are adorned with flowers and colourful flower pots. The area dates back to Spain’s Islamic period and Frigiliana's tourist slogan describes the village as the 'light of Andalucía'.

Although Frigiliana has seen big changes over the decades it still retains many of its original features, especially in the aforementioned 'Barribarto' area. Traditions and popular festivals are other aspects of village life that have hardly changed over the years: Holy Week, the May crosses, the San Antonio pilgrimage and the ‘feria’ (fair) in June are some of the most popular annual events.

Pepe Pascual was a correspondent for SUR for several decades and his family are in the process of handing over more material to the museum, including notes, books, manuscripts and photos. Last summer, local photographer Jorge Urbano gave the museum a bag of Pascual's negatives dating back to 1987 and 1988.

With this exhibition, the Óleo Frigiliana association continues with its extensive programme of activities to promote and highlight local culture and ethnography, with special emphasis on traditional agriculture linked to vineyards and olives.

The collective was created as a result of attempts to reopen the local agricultural cooperative, which closed its doors in 2022 following an agreement by the members. Several members of the organisation have taken legal action to try to reverse the decision, with the aim of reopening the mill. The exhibition can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

The Nerja Museum has stressed that this exhibition is one of the many projects planned by the Cueva de Nerja Foundation in different areas designed to promote “culture and historical heritage".