Teba, in the Guadalteba district, has in its urban district a collection of excellent examples of traditional Andalusian architecture as well as several buildings of great artistic interest. One example is the La Santísima Cruz Church, whose interior is noteworthy for some beautiful red marble columns from El Torcal in Antequera.

The monument par excellence of this locality is nevertheless Castillo de la Estrella (Star Castle). It is one of the best, if not the best, examples of medieval fortresses in the province of Málaga. As was the case with most defensive structures, Castillo de la Estrella was erected on a hill commanding the best panoramic view. The village along with a large part of the municipal territory is perfectly visible from there.

This fortress’ construction dates from the eleventh century, although it was enlarged over the course of later centuries. The castle consists of two compounds and its structure is adapted to the terrain on which it is built. It thus has two zones at different levels. It is encircled by a barbican and has 18 defensive towers with square bases with the exception of one that is circular and one that is octagonal. Of its three gates, the main and largest one faces west towards Ronda while the other, smaller, two face north and northeast.

It was in 1330 that Alfonso XI, after a long siege, was able to conquer the fortress, which he later ceded to the Order of Santiago. Years later, in the mid-fifteenth century, the castle again underwent a change of ownership. This time it passed into the hands of Juan Ramírez de Guzmán, whose descendents received the title of Counts of Teba rather late in the sixteenth century (1552). As happened with all Spanish defensive constructions, Castillo de la Estrella was occupied by the French during the Napoleonic Invasion, and in 1811 some structural repairs were made on it.

 Undoubtedly the most curious and interesting of the many vicissitudes of history that occurred in or around the castle since the death of the famous chieftain Omar Ben Hafsun was the conquest by Alfonso XI in January 1389. As told by Father Mariana in “The General History of Spain”, among the victims of that battle was Sir James Douglas, a knight of Robert I of Scotland. He had come to Spain as a crusader to comply with the wishes of his sovereign. The noble knight (a famous hero of the Scottish struggle for independence who appears in the film Braveheart) fell during the assault on the fort after fighting alongside the Christian troops.

This remarkable occurrence is related on a stone tablet that the Scottish village of Melrose presented to the locality of Teba, a tablet that the descendents of the Scottish hero brought personally to commemorate that event. The two villages have become sister communities.

Another curious historical fact is that Eugenia de Montijo, the wife of Napoleon III and the last Empress of France, was descended from the first conquerors of Teba, Juan Ramírez de Guzmán and Martín Ferrán de Portocarrero. In fact, the Empress held the title of Countess of Teba.

From any point on the Costa del Sol go to the city of Málaga on the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) and there take the A-45 Expressway towards Antequera. It is not necessary to enter that city as you should turn onto the A-92 Expressway towards Seville. About 6 kilometres after taking the A-92 you will see the exit for Campillos by way of Highway A-384. Highway MA-468 starts in Campillos and leads straight to Teba.