Salares

Location

Axarquía – Costa del Sol

Click to enlarge images below:

Interesting Facts of Salares

Surface Area: 10 square kilometres

Population: 210

What the natives are called: Salareños

Outstanding Sights: Santa Ana parish church (with Mudéjar minaret-tower), Roman bridge over the River Salares, Albarrá fountain, Cerro del Puerto peak

Geographical Location: in the La Axarquía region, at the foot of the Almijara mountains and 580 metres above sea level. It is 58 kilometres from the city of Málaga and 28 from Vélez-Málaga. The municipality records an average rainfall of 670 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 17º C.

The tiny municipality of Salares, nestled against the formidable mass of the Almijara Mountains, spreads its territory along a narrow strip that borders the province of Granada to the north and in the south penetrates almost to the heart of La Axarquía. If you take into account that this small territory reaches a height of 1,658 metres on the Cerro del Puerto peak and that only seven kilometres south the elevation has dropped to 480 metres you will have some idea of how broken and rugged the terrain is within the boundaries of this municipality.

The bare rocks that crown the highest peaks accentuate even more the greenery in the environs of the village, near which flow the Rivers Salares and Sedella. These two rivers collect waters from the mountains to irrigate a number of tremendously productive agricultural areas, and where water is scarce, grapes make their appearance as the main crop.

The geographic characteristics of the territory of Salares –abundant water, favourable temperatures and excellent shelters in case of unforeseen attacks– drew the attention of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and, of course, the Romans who coined the village’s first name: Salaria Bastitanorum, in reference to a salt deposit that apparently existed in this area.

Except for a bridge that is still preserved, however, the Romans’ passage through Salares is overshadowed by the imprint of the Arabs, who did leave important evidence, such as the configuration of the village itself and a fortress of which one tower still stands and under whose shelter the village took shape.

Just as in the case of so many other villages in La Axarquía after the fall of Vélez Málaga in 1487, Muslim representatives from Salares went to the regional capital to surrender to the victors. This event took place just two days after Vélez had been taken over from the Muslims, on April 29, 1487.

The lands of Salares, along with those of the other adjacent villages (including Benescalera, of which today no trace remains), were granted as feudal holdings to Don Pedro Enríquez, the Adelantado Mayor (civil and military governor) of Andalusia, and at his death they were inherited by his widow.

The persecutions that the Moors were subjected to for years by the Christians sowed the seeds of generalised discontent that broke out into open rebellion in 1569. The Moorish uprising in La Axarquía was fomented by the chieftain Martín Alguacil and began in the localities of Sedella, Canillas and Salares. It ended in the famous Battle of El Peñón in Frigiliana. When the Moors were expelled in 1571 there were 92 from Salares among them, according to the chronicles.

In 1572, the population of Salares and the now-vanished Banescalera totalled about 550, and there was in operation a flour-mill, an olive oil mill, two fisheries, 20 threshing rooms, eight lime pits and ten apiaries. Apparently a large proportion of the villagers were engaged in silk production, which at that time was one of the products most in fashion.

No lives were lost in the earthquake of 1884 that shook all of La Axarquía so violently but it did cause incalculable material damage. The royal commissioner in charge of evaluating the damage designated about 30,000 pesetas to help the villagers rebuild their homes and replace belongings.

Road Directions

If coming from the Costa del Sol, take the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) to the Vélez Málaga bypass, and there take the A-335 towards Alhama de Granada. After travelling about 9 kilometres from the Vélez Málaga bypass turn onto the MA-125 and take it to Canillas de Aceituno. There take the MA-126 towards Sedella, where the MA-127 begins and leads to Salares.

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

Tourist Info

Salares
Ayuntamiento, C/ Iglesia, 2
Salares
Málaga
29714

Tel: +34 952 50 89 05

Fax: +34 952 50 89 05

Send an email

Website:

Informacion

Socios

What to See in Salares

The village of Salares is perched on a hill and today this situation seems more a caprice than a necessity, but thanks to this apparent caprice the visitor can enjoy the sight of unusual urban features that were not repeated after the end of the Middle Ages. Short streets, some of them very steep and others with steps, form a peculiar street plan that is remarkable for the façades of houses that have been whitewashed so many times and so often that the walls imperceptibly increase in thickness from one year to the next.

The Santa Ana parish church is the most remarkable building in the village. It was built in the sixteenth century in the Mudéjar style and consists of a single nave with transept and a beam roof frame. The exterior is exceedingly simple, its most notable feature being the entrance with a semicircular arch over the door. Without a doubt the most remarkable thing about the church is the minaret from the former mosque, to which has been added a belfry level. The tower-minaret was built of red brick between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and was designated a National Historic and Artistic Monument in 1979. It is considered one of the best examples of Almohad art in Spain, and this is why Salares was included in Axarquía’s Mudéjar Tour along with Arenas, Árchez, Sedella and Canillas de Aceituno.

The Roman bridge over the River Salares, which is still in use, has a single span and its pillars rest on rocky knolls on either side of the stream. A number of attractive glazed tile panels depicting the mysteries of the Way of the Cross have been placed on some of the façades along Puente Street, which ends at the Roman bridge.

Tourist Info

Salares
Ayuntamiento, C/ Iglesia, 2
Salares
Málaga
29714

Tel: +34 952 50 89 05

Fax: +34 952 50 89 05

Send an email

Website:

Informacion

Socios

Salares’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

The Village Fair is scheduled on the weekend closest to 26 July, the day of Santa Ana, patron saint of Salares. The opening of the fair is announced on Saturday by a street party, and that night the image of Santa Ana is borne in a procession. The verbena (traditional street party) begins with the conclusion of the procession. The saint is again carried in a procession on Sunday, in the morning this time, and that night there is another verbena.

On 17 January, the day of Salares’ patron saint San Antón, the festive events are similar to those on the day of Santa Ana, including the saint being borne in a procession through the streets amid noisy fireworks. There is a verbena that night and the next day the pilgrimage to a place called La Era. Here the villagers bring the saint as well as their animals, which will be blessed by the parish priest. When the patron saint returns to the church the pilgrims travel through the village and are presented with a rosco (a kind of spiral pastry), a glass of wine and a Tapa.

The eve of San Juan is celebrated in Salares in the manner of interior villages. In other words, instead of going to bathe at the beach the villagers go to the streams and fountains and wash their faces in order to comply with the tradition.

The Semana Santa (Holy Week) is noteworthy for the procession of the Virgen de los Dolores and Nuestro Padre Jesús (Virgin of Sorrows and Our Father Jesus) on Holy Thursday. The most distinctive thing about Holy Week in Salares is the manner in which the Resurrection is celebrated. On that day the Virgen de los Dolores passes through the upper part of the village, accompanied exclusively by women, while the men bear a small image of the Resurrected Child through the lower part of town. The meeting of the two processions occurs at the gates of the cemetery, and the bearers rock the two images back and forth under a canopy of fireworks.

The month of September is marked by the Arab-Andalusian Festival, an event held in Salares and aimed at bring together the two cultures that have coexisted in this region for so many years. Both locals and out-of-towners can taste different tea varieties, pastries, pinchos morunos, paella, and so on. There is also a souk in the streets of Salares where world-class shows are staged by belly dancers, choirs, parades and music bands. The festival hosts native livestock exhibit, horse dressage, falconry demonstrations and horseshoe-making or other farm trade demonstrations. Also cultural events related with painting, poetry or history take place. Another world appears at sunset, when everybody turn the lights off and hundreds of candles are lit, and the atmosphere is pure magic. The Salares Arab-Andalusian Festival has been designated of Provincial Tourist Singularity.

Salares’s Gastronomy

The cuisine in Salares is very similar to that of the interior villages of La Axarquía. Some recipes might be mentioned as being particularly identified with the place, however, such as hinojos (fennel) in preparations such as potaje (stew) and tortillas (omelettes) or simply sautéed. Migas (a dish made from fried bread crumbs) and gachas con cuscurrones (a soup-like dish of flour and seasonings) made with milk, sugar and honey are also very typical. Roscos de naranja (a type of spiral pastry, containing oranges in this case) are popular confectionery items. According to tradition these are made following the rule of ten in measurements: for each kilo of flour, ten oranges, ten spoonfuls of olive oil and ten spoonfuls of sugar. Yeast, bicarbonate of soda and anise are then added according to taste, and after they are fried they are dusted with sugar. An excellent sweet sherry is produced here.