Alhaurin el Grande, Malaga tourist information
Villages of Malaga province and Andalucia, Spain travel information

Alhaurin el Grande Malaga

Situated at the foot of the northern face of the Sierra de Mijas, looking out over the spectacular Guadalhorce Valley, its territory is made up of citrus and other fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

Neolithic, Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Arabic settlers have all left their mark on the area. Today, Alhaurin el Grande is a prosperous village whose most interesting monuments are Our Lady’s Church, the Town Hall and Montellano Palace. Also worthy of mention is Los Corchos Mill, which is still in excellent condition and works exactly as it did in Moslem times.

History

The existence of a Roman town of some importance in this area is evidenced by abundant remains from the period, such as the aqueduct on the road to Coin, capitals, columns, headstones, sculptures, coins featuring Dioclecianus and Probus, and Cerrogordo ruins. Its Roman name appears to have been Lauro Nova. It is generally believed that this was the ancient Lauro where, according to Floro, Gnaeus Pompeius, son of Pompeius, was killed by supporters of Julius Caesar, although there is no proof of this assumption. The Arabs gave it the name Alhaur, meaning "the valley people", due to its location between the Faala and Arroyo de la Villa valleys, and built a fortress which dominated in the area. This castle was blown up by the French in 1812; on its foundations the parish church was later built.

There are also remains of other Moslem fortresses in the municipal area, such as those of Jurique, Faala, Mentage and Rabaquel.

In 1487, the village was conquered by King Ferdinand, following bloody assaults on Coin, the fire and massacre of Benamaguez (Casapalma) and the capture of Cartama. Its habitants fleed to Marbella; its land and castles were shared out among the Christian settlers, though a further redistribution was undertaken in 1492.

Alhaurin el Grande, which belonged to the Crown, was under the jurisdiction of the city of Malaga.

In 1634, its inhabitants bought this jurisdiction along with the independent village status for the sum of 4,459,916 silver maravedíes. King Ferdinand VI revoked this autonomy and placed the village under the jurisdiction of the first Coin, then the Crown itself, adding the Fleur de Lies of the House of Bourbon to its coat of arms. This coat of arms also features the Golden Fleece awarded to the village by Charles V for its loyalty during the Regional Wars.

Tourist information about Alhaurin el Grande:

Town council: C/ San Sebastián, s/n - 29120.
Phone:+34 952 59 55 99
Official website: Ayuntamiento de Alhaurin el Grande.

Malaga to Alhaurin el Grande:

You can reach Alhaurin el Grande in 40 minutes by car (there is a 28 km journey). Find the cheapest car hire Malaga airport deals and see how to get from Malaga airport to Alhaurin el Grande.