Monda

Location

Sierra de las Nieves

Monda and the Monda Castle in the background

Click to enlarge images below:

Interesting Facts of Monda

Surface Area: 58 square kilometres

Population: 2,342

What the natives are called: Mondeños

Outstanding Sights: Church of Santiago, Castle of La Villeta, La Jaula Fountain, Mari Gloria House Museum

Geographical Location: in the southern part of the Guadalhorce valley region. The village is 44 kilometres from the provincial capital and 10 from Coín, and is 380 metres above sea level. Average rainfall in the municipality is 700 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 17º C.

The territory of Monda spreads out among a collection of mountain ranges that not only lend diversity to the landscape that they form but also a certain unique and unmistakable air to the area. It may not differ radically from other places in the Guadalhorce valley but there is an ineffable quality to the municipality that sets it apart from those it adjoins.

Be that as it may, places such as Moratán and Giamón, at the foot of the Canucha range and with their dense forests of evergreen oaks and cork oaks, are the sort that will be remembered even after one has seen many other natural beauty spots. It is with good reason that this area has been included in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park. To the north the terrain smoothes out and broad extensions of grain fields and olive trees appear, and close to the village the country is given over to terraced orchards and market gardens.

For a time there was some benefit for it to be accepted as a fact that it was here in the territory of Monda that the famous Battle of Munda occurred, in which Julius Caesar confronted Cneo and Pompey in 45 B. C. to seize control of Rome. Actually there is no historical documentation that that battle took place anywhere in this municipality, but it continues to be a nice story to tell visitors, and one that at least one other municipality in the province of Málaga has appropriated. The historical confusion seems to have arisen from the similarity of the names Munda and Monda.

It is considered proven that it was Omar Ben Hafsun who built the Al Mundat castle for defence from the attacks by the Caliphate of Córdoba, against which he had rebelled. This castle would be part of the Guadalhorce valley defensive system, but it was levelled by the strongman Sain Ibn Al-Mundir in year 308 of the hegira (along about 932 of the Christian era) and rebuilt in the eleventh century.

After the conquest of Málaga by Christian troops Monda came under the jurisdiction of the present provincial capital. Apparently the conquerors and the conquered coexisted peacefully until after the Moorish rebellion when the residents of Monda, like the rest of the old Kingdom of Granada, were expelled and replaced by Old Christians who settled on a more level area.

Road Directions

From the city of Málaga take the A-357 to Cártama and at that village take the A-355 to Coín. Connect thee with the A-366 in the direction of Alhaurín el Grande. After going 2.5 kilometres in that direction again take the A-355, which leads to Monda. The reason for getting off the A-355 onto the A-366 and then back on the A-355 is that there is a section under construction, and when it is finished it will not be necessary to use the A-366. If you are coming from Marbella you must likewise take the A-355, which in this case will lead directly to Monda.

Full graphical path: http://bit.ly/vwpZNy

Tourist Info

Monda
Ayuntamiento, C/ Valdescoba, 1
Monda
Málaga
29110

Tel: +34 952 45 70 69

Fax: +34 952 45 71 80

Send an email

Website:

Informacion

Socios

What to See in Monda

The village is spread over the less rugged part of a side of the hill on whose crest the castle sits. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of slopes, or of that Moorish atmosphere that envelops the most ancient part of the locality where the Santiago Apóstol parish church stands. It was built in the mid-sixteenth century and later restored. In its interior you may view the sixteenth century Chapel of Jesus, which preserves a number of Mudéjar features, and the Chapel of the Virgin, which has an interesting vault of Baroque gypsum artwork. On the exterior can be seen the coat of arms of Bishop-Friar Alonso de Santo Tomás and the three-level tower with its square base.

It is estimated, based on the archaeological remains that have been found, that the La Villeta castle was built in the third century B. C. and therefore during the roman epoch. Omar Ben Hafsun used it as one of his defensive strongholds but it fell into the hands of Saib Ibn Al-Mundir, who practically destroyed it. It was rebuilt in the eleventh century and partially demolished in 1498, years after the Christian conquest. At the present time it is a luxury hotel whose construction has respected those ancient features that could be salvaged.

Monda

Monda

La Jaula Fountain

The Mari Gloria House Museum is much more than a museum: it is a leap back in time to look at life in the village in days gone by. Formerly a bakery, it now houses utensils of all kinds, not only those used in making bread but also tools for tilling the soil, as well as antique furniture, old decorative motifs, and lots of details that will surely catch your eye. The Mari Gloria House Museum is in fact a museum of ethnography, whose owner can explain what different pieces were called, what they were used for, and how they fell into disuse. Rocking chairs, wrought-iron beds, cat’s-tail chairs, clay cups, glasses, and vases, braziers, crooks, ploughs… Everything is displayed with great care, so that the museum’s rooms look like those in old times, creating the feeling that the museum is alive. The Mari Gloria House Museum is next to the Parish Church of Santiago Apóstol, on 2, Amargura Street.
is one of Monda’s most representative architectural landmarks. It is an old sixteenth-century washhouse preceded by an arcade, using irrigation water. Renovated in the eighteenth century, the fountain shows some of the most typical features of popular civil architecture. Its name is Arabic in origin: "Al-Haura," meaning "fountain in the outskirts" or "deep fountain." has a long olive oil-making tradition. You can always buy a couple of quality oil bottles at the mills. is a town worth walking and seeing. The scenic viewpoint of Cruz de Caravaca affords stunning views of the town centre and its intricate Arab design. To the left, there is the Castle of La Villeta and, opposite, the Crosses of El Calvario. Following them, you can get to the old threshing floor, where they used to winnow wheat, and look at the three crosses, whose whiteness stands in stark contrast to the bright blue sky and the surrounding olives.

Tourist Info

Monda
Ayuntamiento, C/ Valdescoba, 1
Monda
Málaga
29110

Tel: +34 952 45 70 69

Fax: +34 952 45 71 80

Send an email

Website:

Informacion

Socios

Monda’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

During the last few decades, tributes to native foods or traditional dishes have led to the creation of some of the most popular fiestas, which, alongside longer-standing celebrations have become tourist attractions in their own right. In Monda, they celebrate Monda Soup Day, a tribute to a traditional soup –also known as "sopa poncima"– made with bread, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and eggs. The feast is held on a Sunday in March, inviting out-of-towners to try one of the town’s hallmarks. The soups made in the sierras are known as "survival foods," for they were made with simple ingredients and leftovers. Of humble origins, this type of food has grown to become one of the gems of Sierra de las Nieves –an intangible asset that has received the EDEN Award, a EU project rewarding sustainable forms of tourism. Monda Soup Day has been designated as a Fiesta of Provincial Tourist Singularity.

Other big fiestas in Monda include Carnival, St Roch’s Festival (16 August, a tribute to the town’s patron saint), and Easter. During the Holy Week, the Stations of the Cross cover the oldest streets in town and reach the Three Crosses of El Calvario.

Monda’s Gastronomy

As well as the aforementioned sopa mondeña there are other specialties in this village worthy of mention, including pork products such as morcilla (blood pudding) and chorizo (a spicy sausage), an exquisite honey and homemade roscas (a kind of spiral pastry), which are generally prepared during the Semana Santa and Christmas.