Culturally significant landscape in Casares
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The Culturally significant landscape in Casares takes you through a particular natural and cultural interest. Original reference documents are available on the Digital Guide to Andalusia’s Cultural Heritage website.
The route takes place in and around the city of Casares, in the Spanish province of Málaga, and features a landscape included on the Register of Landscapes of Cultural Interest in Andalusia. The itinerary begins in Casares. Its purpose is to help you understand the various ways in which people have related to and continue to relate to the places they call home, as well as how these interactions have given rise to various types of cultural landscapes. Not only do these landscapes contribute to the uniqueness of the province, they also represent examples of sustainable spatial development.
Original reference documents are available on the website of the Digital Guide to Andalusia’s Cultural Heritage.
Understand
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Sierra de Ronda. That is where my town is, on the eastern side of a southern slope, nested like a small eagle on the top of a prominent rock, looking eternally ahead at Africa, which rises sharply from the other side of the Strait. The nearby sea is an invigorating presence, gently roaring on a calm day and howling, thrashing when provoked. Blas Infante (1914), El Ideal Andaluz (The Andalusian Ideal) |
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—Blas Infante (1914), El Ideal Andaluz | ||
The aim of this route is help you better understand the landscapes in and around the town and municipality of Casares, located in the south-western tip of the Province of Málaga. The area is part of the Western Costa del Sol, which is found on the coast between the city of Málaga and the city of Algeciras. The municipality spans 162.2 km² and is made up of a variety of landscapes shaped by its coastline, mountains and plains. The town lies between Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja nature reserve and two elevations of the Sierra Crestellina nature reserve. The latter belongs to the Subbaetic System and to the west borders the foothills of Campo de Gibraltar. Here, limestone rock has resulted in steep, rugged terrain, which meets with the eastern side of the Genal Valley. The nearby river and plain also mean part of the municipality has deep, loose and fertile soil.
Thanks to its diverse geography and geology, the area in and around Casares has a number of distinct landscapes. These include the cork oaks found on the flysch of Gibraltar, the olive groves and palm trees that thrive in the looser soil of the lowlands, and the holm oaks, mastic trees and hawthorns that grow in its chalky soil. Although trees are the defining feature of its natural landscapes, there is also some farming (particularly pastoral farming) in the area. It is precisely these contrasts which led humans to settle in this area many millennia ago. In Hispano-Roman times, a fortress was built in Lacipo, near to present-day Casares, following the coming together of local groups to defend themselves against the imperialist ambitions of Carthage. During the Roman period, Lacipo became a thriving city, even creating its own mint of Punic tradition in the 2nd century BC. In fact, it was such a well-established Roman city than well into the 1st century AD, it still had a forum and town walls.
During the Late Middle Ages, the town became a place of great strategic importance due to its location on the border between the Almohad and Marinid dominions and the Kingdom of Castile. It also controlled access inland to the Comarca de Ronda. This period played an important role in shaping the current landscape of Casares. Here, in 1361 an important alliance was forged between Muhammad V of Granada and Peter of Castile, which recognised Casares as a defensive outpost belonging to the Arabs. This alliance remained in place until the beginning of the 15th century when Serranía de Ronda was captured and the city decided to surrender around 1487, becoming part of the Kingdom of Castile. Following the arrival of Christian settlers, a number of revolts were organised by the Moors, which ended with the death of al-Fair at the end of the 16th century.
Another particularly important period in the history of Casares was during the French occupation of Spain. During this time, locals were a constant menace to the invading troops until they withdrew in 1813, preventing them from subduing the town. Following the demise of the Señorío de Casares, the sharp contrast between the working class and bourgeoisie landowners was a constant source of conflict. At the beginning of the 20th century, a republican workers’ movement began in this western-most area of the province, and Casares and Marbella became the two towns with the greatest number of supporters. It is within this context that Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas, born in 1885 and the town’s most illustrious figure, wrote El Ideal Andaluz (The Andalusian Ideal) in 1915. In it, he described the hardship he had witnessed amongst its people. The layout of the town and its architecture is the result of its steep, rugged terrain. This has given rise to a whitewashed Moorish town with houses of all shapes and sizes, overlooked by the ruins of an 13th-century fortress. These unique features saw it become a Historic-Artistic Site in 1978. It also features on almost any route of whitewashed towns and villages in the Province of Málaga. Given the extraordinary way the town has used the natural landscape to its advantage and the role it has historically played in controlling the area, the decision was made to include it on the Register of Landscapes of Cultural Interest in Andalusia under the category ‘Security and Defence’.
The route takes you through the old town of Casares and provides you with information to help you understand its cultural landscape as well as the historical events that have given rise to what we see today. It begins at the site of the old visitor centre. This is located on the A-7150 and offers sweeping views of the town. You will then enter the old town via Calle Carrera, the historic road used to access Casares from the town of Gaucín in the north. Here, you will find the house where Blas Infante was born. It then takes you through the old town until you reach the highest point in Casares. Here, on a rocky plateau, is a castle and the remains of the original medieval settlement. The route ends in Plaza Marcelino Camacho, where you will find a former monastery that used to belong to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.
Get in
The route is traveled on foot through the town of Casares, 90 km (56 mi) from the city of Málaga and 145 km (90 mi) from the city of Cádiz. It can be reached by roads AP-7 and A-381 .
Drive
1 From the bird observatory to the old town
Route: A-7150 to Calle Carrera.
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The route begins at the site of the 1 Casares visitor reception center by the A-7150, which continues through to Serranía de Ronda. Take the small footpath up to the 2 bird observatory.
This site offers panoramic views of Casares and the surrounding area, allowing you to clearly see how it is built on a rocky formation between the coast and Serranía de Ronda. The limestone rock has given rise to extremely rugged, uneven terrain, which falls sharply into a valley, at the bottom of which is a stream known as 3 Arroyo del Albarrán. Over the centuries, this unique terrain has conditioned the layout of the town, which began life as a defensive settlement at the top of the rock. You will also see 4 Tajo de la Planá. This is the old fortified part of Casares, dating back to the middle of the 13th century, and where we find its castle. It formed a strategic line of defence along the old border of the Kingdom of Granada, along with forts in Gibraltar, Gaucín and Ronda. To get to the town itself, drive or walk down the A-7150 until you reach Calle Carrera. This is the old road that connected Casares and Gaucín. This section of the route allows you to fully appreciate just how high the old town is, as well as take in views of its whitewashed houses. It also offers views of the northern part of the old town.
2 Calle Carrera: the old road into Casares
Route: Calle Carrera to Plaza de España.
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Once you have left the A-7150 and are on Calle Carrera, you are now in the 1 old town. This was declared a 5 Conjunto Histórico(conservation area) in 1978. This was the only road between Casares and Gaucín until the 20th century, and continues to be the main road into the town. During the 16th century, the towns were known as the ‘key to the Havaral’ as they formed a well-defended gateway to the Genal Valley from the coast, defended by the highest watchtower in Sierra Crestellina. As you walk along Calle Carrera towards 6 Plaza de España, you will pass 7 Peñón Roao.
Just by this rock, which holds great symbolic importance for locals, is a multi-purpose building. This spot offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape as well as the top of the town with its castle. You will notice how the expansion of the town has been conditioned by the rocky terrain. This has given rise to the unique layout of the buildings and roads that we see today, and is one of the town’s defining features. Also on this road you will find the 8 Casa Natal de Blas Infante. The building now has a small museum, which takes you on a journey through the life of this seminal figure in Andalusian history. The buildings on this street, like most of those you will see in the town, were built during the 19th century. It is well worth stopping at the viewpoint on 9 Paseo de la Carrera to take in the sweeping views of the highest part of the town, crowned by its 10 castle.
3 Plaza de España: the town’s main square
Route: Plaza de España.
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As you come to the end of Calle Carrera, you will reach a small square known as 11 Plaza de España. This is the main square and beating heart of Casares. It is a place where people come to meet and is much loved by locals and visitors alike. You will notice that its shape is rather irregular. This is because of the many roads that converge on it. Many of its buildings date back to the 19th century (like most of those found in the town), whilst others are somewhat more recent. The square is also home to a number of historic buildings and features. The first is 12 hermitage of San Sebastián. Built in the 17th century, this shrine has a basilica-style floor plan and features an image of the much-loved Nuestra Señora del Rosario del Campo, who was named patron saint of Casares following the Peninsular War. The second is 13 Carlos III's fountain, the centrepiece of the square. The top part of this neoclassical fountain, named after Charles III of Spain, features a watchtower surrounded by decorate features as well as four cannon holes the water comes out from. It was completed in 1785, during the monarch’s reign, as part of improvements to the town’s water system. These involved supplying the population with water from a spring and wells in Puerto de las Viñas, and were a crucial part of the town’s development. The third is the 14 sculpture of Blas Infante, just by Calle Molinos. Born in the town, Blas Infante laid the foundations of what would later become the movement known as Andalucismo. This was the first monument erected in honour of him after he was killed by firing squad in 1936.
4 Arch of the Arrabal: the northern entrance
Route: Plaza de España, Calle Arrabal and Arco del Arrabal.
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Turn down the road just by 15 hermitage of de San Sebastián and continue onto Calle Arrabal. Here, you can truly appreciate how Casares expanded and gave rise to the old town we see today. A true feat of urban architecture, its narrow, winding streets are perfectly adapted to the steep slopes on which they are built. The limited space at what is today the highest point of Casares meant new houses, workshops and shops began to be built downhill, beyond the 16 castle walls. This is the area you are now in and its layout, which also has a defensive role, is typical of how other settlements expanded during the al-Andalus period. As you walk up the street, you will see how the narrow streets criss-cross one another, using ramps and steps to overcome the sharp differences in height. Another feature of the old town are the small walls known as barraetas that were built around houses and steps to prevent people from falling. Once we are the highest point of Calle Arrabal, we come to an arch known as Arco del Arrabal. This is one of the entrances to the fortified area of castle, a passageway through the medieval walls. It is joined to the town walls by way of a coracha (an angled defensive outwork) and a polygonal albarrana tower built on a rocky formation. It is a fine example of how the defensive structures of the town have been seamlessly adapted to its natural features.
5 The Castle of Casares: key to control and defend the area
Route: Calle Arrabal, Callejón de Veracruz and the Castle of Casares.
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Once you have passed under 17 Arco del Arrabal, continue on Calle Arrabal. As you walk along this road, you will notice how it has been built to fit in around the rugged rock. Towards the end of the street, you will see some steps. These will take you up to the original fortified settlement, which was built here to take advantage of the sweeping views of the surrounding area. This is located on the highest point of the rock, known as La Planá, and is where you will find the remains of the 18 castle of Casares, built in the 13th century during the al-Andalus period. Notice how its walls are practically a continuation of the cliff face to the south and west. Its location meant the area around the lower valleys of the Guadiaro and Genal rivers could be effectively controlled, from the Strait of Gibraltar and Kingdom of Seville to the Emirate of Granada. From the viewpoint here, you can clearly see how the town expanded down the eastern side of the rock beyond its walls. To the south, you can also see the old church known as Iglesia de la Encarnación, which it is believed was built in the 15th century on the site of a former mosque. In fact, you will notice the original minaret was kept. Today, the building hosts the 19 Centro Cultural Blas Infante. Due to its position on the top of a rock, Casares also played an important role in the Peninsular War. The remains of the castle were refortified by Spanish troops led by General Ballesteros at the beginning of the 19th century, and its strategic location allowed the town to avoid being captured by French troops.
6 Tajo de La Planá: views of the mountains to the south
Route: The area around the castle.
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Follow the old walled settlement south until you reach the edge of the cliff known as 20 Tajo de la Planá. Here, you can clearly see how important the town was for controlling and defending the area. The sweeping views across the countryside allow you to fully appreciate the various ecosystems that characterise the area, shaped by its different altitudes, as well as its geology, climate and location near to the coast. The lush, green countryside below the medieval fort provides a stunning contrast with the landscape around the rock of Gibraltar and the immense Mediterranean coastline, as well as the faint outline of the Rif Mountains on the coast of Africa (visibility permitting). Inland, the views of the 21 Genal, the 22 Guadiaro, 23 Alcornocales, Serranía de Ronda and 24 Sierra Bermeja to the west are equally spectacular. You will also see 25 Sierra de Utrera., a distinctive landscape shaped by karstic features. Here, the remains of human settlements from more than 120,000 years ago have been discovered. In the hills around Casares, you will also find the natural Roman baths known as 26 Baños de la Hedionda. This viewpoint is also a fantastic place for spotting flocks of birds migrating, given its location between the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga, and the mountains and coast.
7 Arco de la Villa: the eastern entrance
Route: Castle of Casares, Arco de la Villa and Calle Villa, including a stop by Callejón del Rey.
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This next section of the route takes you back down from the 27 castle.Head east until you reach the 28 Arco de la Villa, the old entrance to the castle from calle Villa. This arch, which passes under the medieval town wall, dates back to the Middle Ages and was refortified during the Peninsular War. You will once again be surrounded by narrow streets, many of which have a dead end and short gated sections of Berber origin giving access to houses. This section of the route allows you to see just how well-designed al-Andalus settlements were, providing easy access to homes for residents. This section of the route also takes you by Callejón del Rey. This is named after Peter of Castile (‘rey’ meaning ‘king’ in Spanish), who, in 1361, entered into an alliance with Muhammad V of Granada to help the deposed emir of Granada regain control of his emirate. As you go down Calle Villa, on your left is the building that used to house 29 Centro Regionalista Andaluz de Casares (the Andalusian Regionalist Centre of Casares). This was founded on 21 May 1918 by a group of locals with the support of Blas Infante. On your right, you will also see the 30 Town Hall. As you get to the end of the street, near Plaza de España, you will get a clear view of the narrow street which ends with Ermita de San Sebastián (Shrine to San Sebastián), whose bell tower is a distinctive feature on the town’s skyline.
8 Mirador de la Pastora: views of the south
Route: Calle de la villa, plaza de España, calle fuente y plaza Marcelino Camacho
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As you make your way from 31 plaza de España to 32 plaza Marcelino Camacho along Calle Fuente, you are once again surrounded by narrow streets. Here, the legacy left by the Moors is evident in the architecture. One feature from this period is the algorfa, examples of which can be found in most of the town’s streets. These allowed people to pass from one neighbouring building to another and also served (and continue to serve) as structural arches, providing stability to particularly high pillars and columns. A walk through the old town is also a chance to take in the sights and sounds of daily life in Casares. Once you have reached Plaza Marcelino Camacho, you will see 33 iglesia parroquial de la Encarnación. During the first 25 years of the 17th century, this church belonged to the old monastery of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, founded by the Duke of Arcos. Its facade was built opposite the archway that used serve as the entrance to the square. The area is known as 34 La Pastora and here you will find 35 Fuente del Llano, a small fountain which supplied water for the monks to drink and water their vegetable gardens. On your right, you will find a 36 mirador which offers sweeping views of the old town. From here, it is easy to appreciate how the town has grown over the centuries, beginning with its medieval castle and expanding downhill. You will also notice how the houses and other buildings have been conditioned by the steep, rugged terrain.
Safety
The places included on the route are safe and have low rates of crime. However, the usual safety precautions should be taken, such as locking your car and keeping your eye on your rucksack and other personal belongings. As in the rest of Spain, the Guardia Civil is responsible for policing the countryside, although Casares does have its own local police force. On many parts of the route, there are no areas of shade. As such, you should use sun cream and a hat when the weather is hot. A number of sections are not fully accessible and may require outdoor wear and walking boots.
- Emergencies-112, ☏ 112.
- Guardia Civil, ☏ 062.
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Stay healthy
The hospitals nearest to the points along the route are:
- 1 Consultorio de Casares, C/ Carrera, 87D, Casares, Málaga, ☏ +34 951270699.
- 2 Hospital de Alta Resolución de Estepona, C/ Irene Villa, 29680, Estepona, Málaga, ☏ +34 951 97 67 83.
- 3 Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Campus de Teatinos, s/n, 29010, Málaga, ☏ +34-951-03-20-00.