Jubrique is situated in the Ronda mountain range, 38 km away from Ronda itself and its economy is mainly based on agriculture, cattle farming and forestry.
This municipality in the province of Malaga is located on a mountainous terrain with its houses and streets adapted to the irregularities of the surface, creating this way a typical architecture of the Ronda mountain range.
As all the rest of the villages in the area, Jubrique’s origin is also Arab. Its name probably comes from the word “luber” (place of abundance) or perhaps from “lubar” (place of brightness).
Possibly the Arabs settled upon a previous Roman or Phoenician settlement, although there is no data about this. It is known that after the Christian armies’ conquest, the place was sold to the Duke of Arcos.
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After the Christian conquest in 1485, a treaty was signed in which the Christians committed to respect the customs, religion and traditions of the Moors that lived here in exchange of surrendering, however the Inquisition and the religious fanaticism of the time didn’t take too long in chasing those who kept on practicing their old rites, forcing them to follow the beliefs of the Christians. The church feared a division of power, something that they would not allow, which meant that whoever didn’t join them would be against them and pursued...which caused a great rebellion all around the conquered territories. In the year 1500, and after an uprising, there were 2 different sides of Moors, one leaded by El Alarique, who intended to negotiate the surrender, while the other side, leaded by El Melchi, who had been charged for heresy, prevented it. El Melchi managed to convince the inhabitants that he intended to surrender, that El Alarique has sold Jubrique for 9000 ducados and that a few galleys had arrived at Gibraltar determined to enslave all of the Moors; finally, El Alarique was assassinated by his village who decided to stand up to the Christian’s invasion.
After 2 Moorish revolts and frequent Berber invasions, they intended to expel and imprison the Muslims that still remained in Jubrique, where the Christians took over their goods and possessions and distributed them amongst the new villagers.
During the Napoleonic invasion, Jubrique registered an important increase of bandits and became the peak of smuggling.
Jubrique has tried to cover and hide its Islamic past, transforming the Moorish buildings into Christian buildings that we can visit today:
San Francisco of Asis
Built in the late 16th century upon an old Muslim mosque. This religious building was restored in 1970.
El Castañuelo chapel
This chapel of Arab origin was named after the plot of land where it’s located.
Santa Cruz del Chorrillo chapel
An originally Arab chapel reconverted to the Christian religion.
Jubrique also has the following festive days:
-Pilgrimage of the Chorrillo chapel: On the 28th and 29th of May, with countryside celebrations, contests, dances and games.
-Masquerade Party: From the 4th to the 6th of May, the locals dress up in clothing of the middle ages and represent old trades.
-Pie Day: Every Wednesday in the church square.
-Jubrique fair: 30th of September to the 4th of October and hosts shows and concerts.
-Local religious festivities: From the 4th to the 8th of October.
The easiest way to get to Jubrique from Malaga is head to Estepona, and from there, follow the directions to Jubrique. If you need to hire a car with GPS in Malaga, do not hesitate in visiting our quote to get the best prices.
Here below you can see the map with our selected route to reach Jubrique from Malaga airport.
Town council: Plaza de Andalucía, s/n - 29492.
Phone: +34 952 50 97 76.
Official website: Ayuntamiento de Jubrique
Credit cards accepted
