Guaro is a municipality and white village in the province of Malaga, situated 44 kilometres away from the capital city; it belongs to the region of the Guadalhorce Valley and had a population of around 2311 registered inhabitants in 2011. The nearest villages to Guaro are Monda (5 minutes away) and Coin (15 minutes away).
Guaro has a history and tradition that date back to ancient times, a simple wander around its streets will transport us back to a period that we’ll relate in detail here below.
The origin of Guaro as a village dates back to the Arab period although the human presence dates back to the prehistoric period thanks to certain remains that were found in the area, as well as other roman remains.
Guaro was conquered in 1485, and it was after the Christian army’s conquest of Coin when Guaro surrendered to the invasion with the aim of conserving some privileges for the Muslims that decided to convert to the new religion, although this situation wouldn’t last.
The constant and increasing demands of the Christians caused a revolt that extended all around the occupied territories of Al-Andalus and ended up with the expulsion of the vast majority of the Moors (Muslims converted to Catholics). Amongst these demands was the obligation of the Moors to leave the front doors of their homes wide open so they could be guarded at all time; they were forbidden to speak in their own language or practice any kind of religious rite that wasn’t Christian, they lost their rights of the lands and they were assigned the worst and least fertile...even on top of all of that, the few Moors left were chased and hunted until the majority ended up leaving to northern Africa.
The population of Guaro was made up of Christians brought down from the north and from other nearby villages previously conquered.
The streets in Guaro are typical Andalusian, as are the white houses decorated with flowers on their balconies. A stroll around its narrow streets is well worth it; plus, this municipality has many popular celebrations that we can enjoy if we decide to pay a visit:
Festival de la Luna Mora (Moorish Moon Festival)
The most important celebration in the municipality is a 4 day event in September that you simply cannot miss out on. This event exhibits the Andalusian folklore and culture, the streets of Guaro fill with lighted candles and representations of Guaro’s Moorish past that the locals themselves interpret, in which they include pagan elements and where we’ll find stands of ecological and handmade products (from sweets to sugarcane juice, earrings or clothes). One of its main streets offers stands with food and drinks.
As it’s such a popular event, where people visit from all over the Costa del Sol and surrounding villages, they restrict the access from Monda, one must access via the Coin road and there is a parking area available at the entrance of the village that’s free and permanently guarded. There are several buses that run regularly from the parking lot straight to the Moorish Moon Festival and the price is only one euro for a return ticket.
San Isidro Romeria (pilgrimage)
During the first days of the second half of the month of May, this celebration is dedicated to the farmers.
Guaro’s Flamenco Song Festival
A combination of artists that offer a beautiful show throughout Guaro’s warm summer nights, and is offered every year for over ten years.
Summer fair
In August, the Guaro fair offers its visitors joy, music and plenty of fun that lasts 4 days.
If you wish to visit any of the monuments, we recommend a visit to the Oil Museum where they exhibit the machinery and tools used for the traditional extraction of the oil. There are also several religious buildings constructed between the 16th and 18th century, something very common after the Christian conquest to establish the religion in which they firmly believed in; amongst some examples of these buildings are the San Miguel church and a chapel located 500 metres away from the urban core.
The main ingredient of Guaro’s gastronomy is the almond, used to make many of their typical products like their flat pies, biscuit doughnuts, typical Christmas nougats and other sweets, almond soup, etc..
If you visit Guaro, you can buy the oil produced there and confectionery products made with almonds, as well as items of decoration and embroidery.
Guaro can be reached from many points of the Costa del Sol. For example, if you decide to get there from Marbella, you must head towards Ojen, then to Monda and from there to Guaro. From Malaga you can take the directions to Cartama and from there to Coín. If you need a vehicle, check out our car hire prices at Malaga airport and if you need help you can add a GPS to your rental that will show you the correct route at all time.
Here below you’ll find the route that we have chosen to get to Guaro from Malaga:
Town council: Plaza de la Constitución, 5
Phone: +34 952 45 75 73
Official website: Ayuntamiento de Guaro
Credit cards accepted
