Surface Area: 34.5 square kilometres
Population: 2,238
What the natives are called: Pecheros
Monuments: Santa Ana church, Arco de Alozaina (Alozaina Arch), María Sagredo castle, Hoyos de los Peñones
Geographical Location: between the River Guadalhorce valley region, to which it belongs, and the Ronda highlands, 52 kilometres from Málaga and 41 from the city of Ronda. The centre of the village is 386 metres above sea level and the average annual precipitation in the region is 700 litres per square metre. The average temperature is 17 º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 3 (29567). Telephone: (+34) 952 480 013 Fax: (+34) 952 480 923  E-mail: alozaina@sopde.es

Alozaina’s territory extends from the Sierra Prieta range in the north to the Río Grande valley in the south, linking the eastern watershed of the Ronda Mountains with the River Guadalhorce valley. These are two very different regions that give this district remarkable scenic diversity.

The most spectacular spots in the municipality of Alozaina are on the slopes of the Sierra Prieta. In this region one finds La Ventanilla, which is reached by the Cuesta de Pino Alto forest trail. This trip is a feast for the eyes but it might be considered just a preparation for the sight awaiting the traveller, at the moment he looks out over the Guadalhorce valley, lying at his feet in all its splendour.

Relics in the form of hunting implements discovered in the Cueva del Algarrobo (Algarrobo Cave) indicate that the first human settlement in this region dates back to the Palaeolithic age, and gold objects have been found in a burial site from the Bronze Age. It was not until the Roman conquest of the region, however, that it could be truly said that an urbanized, and consequently at least minimally structured society existed here, notwithstanding the fact that the Iberians and Phoenicians left their mark on these lands.

In any case, the origins of the modern village date from the Muslim domination, the era of the construction of the castle of which today only a few ruins remain. The name of the village comes from the Arabic and apparently derives from the original Alhosaina, which translates approximately as “small castle”.

The activity in this locality during the Muslim domination attracted more residents than there was room for in the small Roman fortification so the urban complex extended its boundaries beyond it and even a few outlying districts sprang up, as was the usual course followed by so many other villages during those times.

Alozaina fell to the Christian troops on 21 June 1484 and did so, according to chronicles, without offering resistance, as its residents were aware of the harshness of the siege to which the adjacent city of Alora had been subjected. Nevertheless, five days after the surrender of the place and after the assassination of a Christian nobleman, King Fernando ordered the forests to be cut in the entire region and the village to be burned, for which reason it was uninhabited for several years.

Once it had been repopulated with long-time Christians the locality witnessed an unusual incident of history that occurred in 1570 during the reign of Felipe II.
During the Moorish uprising in the Ronda highlands the village was attacked while the men-folk were away working in the fields and the women defended the village from the rebellious Moors. One woman who distinguished herself by her courage was María Sagredo, whom the king appointed as a lieutenant of Spanish troops, with rank and tenure.

How to Get There

If you are coming from Málaga, take the A-357. Immediately after Cártama take the A-355 towards Coín and then the A-366, on which the village is located.