Alhaurín de la Torre

What to See in Alhaurín de la Torre

The San Sebastián church is the most remarkable local religious structure. The first temple was constructed in the early seventeenth century but after it was destroyed by an earthquake it was rebuilt in the nineteenth century in the neoclassic style. It has a Latin cross floor plan and its interior is composed of three naves. Twin belfries crown its façade.

As for the niche of Cristo del Cardón, tradition has it that a miracle occurred in 1484, in the time of the Castilian conquest. The story goes that an image of Christ painted on a piece of wood saved a Christian soldier from death. Because of that act the Christ image has been venerated in different niches. At the present time, it is kept in Los Callejones and is visited especially on the evening of Holy Wednesday.

The Arcos de Zapata (Zapata Arches) remain from the Fuente del Rey aqueduct. This eighteenth-century project was intended to bring water from a spring at Churriana to the capital of Málaga. It encountered tremendous obstacles (the landowners on the agricultural lowlands were opposed to the route, besides which the financial costs were very high) and it was never to be used for its intended purpose.

The El Alamillo chapel was built in 1875, and this is where the saint Francisco de Paula is venerated. In times of drought it used to be the custom to carry this saint in a procession, in the popular belief that the rains would thus soon fall on the parched fields.

The Refugio de Torrijos house is where General José María de Torrijos sought refuge when he arrived at Alhaurín de la Torre fleeing from the troops of Fernando VII, whom he had risen up against in 1831 in his attempt to restore the Constitution of 1812. The general and his men sought shelter on the estate known as Hacienda de la Alquería, which was owned by the Count of Mollina (present-day Torrealquería). Here he and his loyal followers were taken prisoner and shortly afterwards went before the firing squad on the beaches of San Andrés in the capital of Málaga. An obelisk erected on the Merced Plaza commemorates these events.

From the Roman era not only burial sites but also coins and ceramics, sections of walls and the ruins of what was once a luxurious villa have been found. Evidence of the Muslim period is to be found at Cortijo de Mollina, where traces of a Moorish farmhouse and a tower can be seen. These archaeological sites have been designated as Properties of Cultural Interest and almost all are located in the area of Estación de la Alquería, which covers 18 hectares.

Also worth a visit is El Portón, a building located on Juan Carlos I Street, in Alhaurín de la Torre. The house was ceded by Mr. Robinson to the Town Hall to host social and cultural activities. El Portón is an ideal place to put on dance performances, concerts and visual art shows, and it organises band meetings, the International Folk Music Festival, a Jazz Festival, the Summer Film, and the Saint John Festival beauty pageant. The building is home to the Municipal Auditorium too.

The Municipal Park is a nice recreational area peppered with cypresses, rosebushes, poplars, hibiscuses, rubber plants, etc. The park features a waterfall that falls into a pool and a playground area for the little ones.

Alhaurín

has at least two parks for small children: La Jungla, a playground with outdoor furniture, castles, and eateries to hold family reunions, and Parque Central, with the Mirador de Bellavista scenic viewpoint and a huge botanical garden with a playground featuring equipment developed to cater for children.

 

Alhaurín de la Torre’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

Alhaurín de la Torre’s extensive holiday calendar begins practically with the New Year, to be precise on 5 January with a popular and colourful Kings’ Cavalcade. That same month, on the twentieth, festivities are held in honour of Saint Sebastian, the "patron saint of winter" of this locality. For three days there are folk and cultural events, concerts, regional dances, contests, and games and also the "diana floreada", the floral offering to the saint, a High Mass sung by the Santa Cecilia choir and finally the bearing of the patron saint through the principal streets of the village.

On 2 February, the Purificación de la Santísima Virgen de la Candelaria (Purification of the Holy Virgin of La Candelaria) is celebrated. The evening before, offerings of pastries called "roscas de pan con lazos de colores" are made to the Virgin, and after dark, dolls are burned in a great bonfire that is lit in the main plaza. At mass on the following day, the babies who have been born in the last year are presented to the Virgin, after which the women carry the statue of the Virgin while they distribute blessed pastries and collect donations.

During the carnival (February and March) there are processions and performances by choirs, street musicians, quartets and "comparsas". After the so-called "burial of the snail" the fiesta participants are invited to sample delicious snails free of charge.

Holy Week

Although these are the two most important days of Holy Week in Alhaurín de la Torre, one must not forget Palm Sunday with its La Pollinica procession, and Resurrection Sunday (Los Blancos - the Whites), the day the two brotherhoods unite with the rising of Our Resurrected Lord Jesus.

The Cruces de Mayo festival is also deeply rooted in Alhaurín de la Torre tradition, but the San Juan Fair at the onset of summer is the one with the most participants. The pilgrimage in honour of the "patron saint of summer" takes place on the first weekend in June and draws a large number of pilgrims. The journey is made by foot or cart, and upon arrival at the grounds where the fiesta is held the public is invited by the Town Hall to partake of sangría and grilled sardines while various Rocío (pilgrimage) choirs perform. On Sunday there are horseback ribbon races, paella competitions and other recreational activities.

The Saturday before the day of San Juan, the Torre del Cante Flamenco Festival is held at the municipal football field. This is one of the major flamenco festivals not just of the province of Málaga but of all Andalusia, and the most distinguished artists schedule performances here.

The Fiestas Mayores in honour of the Saint are held in conjunction with the day of San Juan. The central streets of the village host the Day Fair with food sampling, performances and competitions while nightlife shifts to the fairgrounds, where booths are set up and the most popular artists of the moment perform.

In September musicians from different regions come to Alhaurín to take part in the Gala de Folclore Tradicional Raíces and show how they feel and play traditional music.

A must-attend event in Alhaurín de la Torre is the Portón del Jazz festival. On all Fridays of July the Auditorium plays host to the best modern jazz in Alhaurín.

takes on a new dimension in Alhaurín de la Torre, where it has been designated a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest since 2001. Each year the rivalry is revived between the only two local brotherhoods: the Real Hermandad de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno y María Santísima de los Dolores (the "Purples"), who hold their procession on Holy Thursday, and the Cofradía del Santísimo Cristo de la Vera Cruz y Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (the "Greens") who appear on Good Friday.

Portón del Jazz kicked off in 1997.

Arroz con castañas

(rice with chestnuts), whose basic ingredients are smoked chestnuts and honey, is considered the most distinctive and characteristic dish of Alhaurín de la Torre, and is popular above all during Holy Week. Another characteristic sweet is the rosquillo (a ring-shaped pastry). Cachorreña and caldo poncima soups (made, respectively, with bread and oranges and with peppers, tomatoes and onions) and gachas (a gruel-like soup made of flour, water and seasonings), are variations of the local cuisine, but one must not forget ensalada de bacalao (codfish salad), which is customarily eaten in summer.

Alhaurín de la Torre’s Gastronomy

More Information About Alhaurín de la Torre

Sports in Alhaurín de la Torre

The rapid population growth that Alhaurín de la Torre has experienced in recent years, and the expectation that it will continue at the same rate in coming years, has encouraged the construction of several sports facilities within the municipal limits to meet the ever-increasing demand.

The La Capellanía Tennis Club is a sports complex that includes several facilities for different sports. A championship tournament of nation-wide importance, the "Capellanía Open", is held in September.

At the Real Sociedad de Tiro de Pichón (Royal Pigeon Shooting Society), located in the Jarapalo mountain range, one can practice shooting clay pigeons, target and helices (propeller targets).

The Lauro Golf Club, a perfectly equipped 27-hole course, is some 7 kilometres from the urban centre.

The village also has a modern covered pavilion, a municipal swimming pool and several football fields, and an indoor swimming pool.

Alhaurín

One of the sporting activities in Alhaurín is the Alpine marathon of Jarapalos, which takes place during the autumn.

Finally, the municipality of Alhaurín has the longest bicycle lane network in the province. At present, there is a 10-kilometre-long cycle lane that starts at the town centre and ends at the different developments and new buildings on the outskirts. The municipality is a pioneer in the construction of marked lanes from which motorised traffic is excluded. An example of a segregated cycle facility can be seen in the area of Pinos.

has a radio control ground that is open all year round and hosts different competitions.