Colmenar - Malaga

Colmenar is on the borders of the comarcas (regions) of the Axarquia and Malaga Mountains. Its municipal area includes part of the Sierra de los Camorolos and that of Jobo, where you can find the peaks of Chamizo, Pelado, Sierra Prieta, Aguila and Ballesteros. It offers a landscape of rocky mountains to the north and south and a land of olives and cereals to the east and west.

Apparently the municipality's history dates back to 1488, when the village of Hamete el Zuque was handed over to the Spanish crown. In those days it was said that this region was rich in wool, wheat, mountains, valleys, streams and wells. Several archaeologists have found pottery and coins, which demonstrate the presence of Roman and Arab peoples in the area before that time. In the summer of 1560, when the lands were assigned and distributed between municipalities, Colmenar became the capital of the Montes de Malaga. The church was founded in the sixteenth century and the chapel of Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candelaria) in the seventeenth century, the latter by sailors of the Canaries who had miraculously survived a terrible storm off the coast of Malaga. Today it is a monument of great renown. In 1777 Colmenar became an independent municipality.

Monuments

Chapel of Our Lady of Candelaria
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
Archaeological
Chapel of San Jose
Puerta de la Cruz

Routes

Ruta del Chamizo
Ruta a la Molina
Ruta del nacimiento del Guadalmedina
Ruta a la mesa de Solano

Gastronomy

Typical dishes of Colmenar are goat in sauce, kid with garlic, various sausages and loin and chorizo de los Montes, el Plato de los Montanas (loin, sausage, potatoes, peppers and fried egg). Also chickpea stew with bacon, bean omelette, gazpachuelo, porra and migas. During the winter more common dishes are tripe and various boiled and stewed dishes. Also worthy of mention is homemade grape juice. In hot weather they serve cold gazpacho and a local dish called porra colmenareña.

Among local pastries are borrachuelos, quince jelly, homemade muffins, wine donuts, and egg donuts.

Flora and Fauna

Here there are important small areas of Mediterranean scrubland, and oak copses. Bobcat, fox, ferret, weasel, eagle, owl and kestrels can be seen.

Directions

Leaving Malaga take the A-6103, popularly known as 'Carretera de Colmenar'. It is the oldest and most unique road which exists before arriving at the interior of Andalusia (Seville, Cordoba, and Granada) and the rest of Spain. The road is an unbroken succession of corners but well worth it for the landscape which can be seen from the bay of Malaga and the Malaga Mountains. Another possibility is to take the Antequera route (N-331), and once past Casabermeja, turn onto the A-356. It is also a very beautiful landscape, especially after leaving the motorway, but a totally different landscape.

Distances