Alcaucin
AREA : 45,40 Km². ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL : 508m
AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL : 937 l/m²
AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE: 16ºC
HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE
The lands of Alcaucín extend over the north of the Axarquia, between the amazing mass of the Tejeda sierra, and the soft relief of the Periana corridor, between the spectacular gorge of the Boquete de Zafarraya and the Axarquia hills. The town, surrounded by pine trees which descend the sides of Tejeda up to its highest side, looks out onto a landscape of olive grove covered hills, vines and small orchards which extend to the end of the valley by Venta Baja, the Puente de Don Manuel and Zalía. From there, by the ruins of the old castle in Zalía, the landscape ascends to the highland in long hilly pastures which are overlooked by the Espino enclave, and emerges into the province of Granada by the Boquete de Zafarraya, between cliffs and cliffheads. But the most prominent conrner of Alcaucín is Alcázar. There, Sierra Tejeda breaks out into deep ravines where the fast flowing water of the highland is swept through to the stream of Alcázar, among pine trees and other shore trees. So much beauty could not be overlooked by the first settlers of the province and in full prehistory, man found shelter in the caves near the Boquete de Zafarraya, where in 1983 remains of the Neanderthal man were found, whom the archaeologists baptized the Zafarrayan man. But it wasnt until the Muslim era that the existence of an important settlement in the area was known. The Arabs took advantage of a fort the Phoenicians built next to the river Zalía and they named the town Al Cautín, which means The Bows. In 1487 it was conquered by the Christians, but the inhabitants who were mainly Moors, took their stand in the revolt of the 16th century. On the 24th of April in 1569, the Moor, Andrés de Xorairán attacked the village, but the rebellion was dourly suffocated by the Christian Armies.
Places to visit
Surrounded by hills planted with olive groves, vines and pines, Alcaucín presents the typical features of the white villages of the Axarquía. In the middle of the town centre there is a small square in which the church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario stands, built in the 17th century and restored. In the highest part is the cemetery and the hermitage of Jesus del Calvario from the 18th century, from where there is a magnificent panorama of the town and the estates scattered around. There are places of great wild beauty, such as the Farallones del Tajo de la Cueva (1,300m.), the Morón de la Cuña ( 1.222m.), the Loma de las Monjas (850m), and Las Majadas, which used to be sulphurous and ferrous baths.
The celebrations which stand out the most are the ones of San Sebastian on the 20th of January, Corpus Christi and Easter with the staging of the "jews", neighbours who dress up with masks and who hound their neighbours during two days. In San Isidro on the 15th of May is the pilgrimage to Alcázar; on the first days of September, the tradition calls farmers to the estates and farmhouses for the Candlemas, bonfires where they burn cereal stubble, wood, and old clothes which light up the nights while they eat and drink wine. In August, there is the annual fair and a flamenco festival, and in October they celebrate the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of the village.
Apart from the variety of soups and home-made porridge, the genuine local dishes are veal and pork loin with garlic, fish cakes with honey, Easter stew, fritters and oil cakes.
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