Valle de Abdalajís
Encyclopedia
Valle de Abdalajís is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga
, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain
. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from Málaga. It has a population of approximately 3000 residents. The natives are called Vallesteros or Vallunos.
region.
Valle de Abdalajís is near to Antequera
(21 km), Álora
and the city of Malaga
(50 km).
The vegetation of this county is typical of a Mediterranean
mountain town, abounding in low brush scrub and xerophytic vegetation
due to dry and hot weather. Furthermore, the rockiness of the mountains and the fate of the lands to the cultivation of almond
, grain and olive
trees, the forests are absent.
In the mountains gives predominantly the typical vegetation of Mediterranean limestone areas characterized by low scrub (thyme
, rosemary
, lavender
, gorse
, prickly pear
s, agave
s, palms, rock roses, hawthorn and broom), plus a number lower plant as evergreens, vincas, St John's Wort
, poppies, peonies, lilies
, some types of orchids Mediterranean ... In the margins of the stream (The Arroyo de las piedras stream) are numerous species of vegetation of Mediterranean coastline and promenade, such as blackberries, rushes and sedges, Oleander
, water lily, watercress, matagallos, ivy, ... However, the riparian woody vegetation has completely disappeared due to cultivation of the fields adjacent to the stream.
In spite of what popularly believed, currently there is no natural reserve (national park, nature reserve, natural park ...) in the municipality Abdalajís Valley, although there is the natural landscape of Los Gaitanes in the neighboring towns of Alora, Antequera and Ardales.
The Sierra de Abdalajís has, however, an interesting fauna amongst which are a considerable number of protected species such as owl
s, ibex, griffon vulture
, golden eagle
, the ladder snake, the Horseshoe Whip Snake
, wild cats, genets or Ocellated lizard. In addition, a variety of smaller birds (swifts, sparrows, canaries, robins, swallows ...), insects, spiders and small mammals (rabbits, hares, moles).
In the surroundings of the stream avenue are common frogs and toads, water snakes, common turtle, terrapin, foxes, rabbits, hares, ferrets, badgers and other species common in the Mediterranean area.
, communication channel to the sea and the city of Malaga
and Antequera
land between the Upper and Lower Andalusia, make it an important step along the history . A story that although was very ancient history, as evidenced by the numerous remains found in the area, has its first significant page in the Iberians
times.
Since prehistoric times, the Abdalajís Valley has served as a must or a link between the area of the Guadalhorce and the Vega de Antequera which has provided an extraordinary archaeological wealth and evidenced by numerous archaeological sites and remains found in his term municipal (the caves called Cuevas del Gato and the cave called Cueva del ermitaño).
Already in the last century, writers such as Guillen Robles Berlanga and were amazed at it. This author in his book "Historia de Málaga y su provincia" said: "... have also been found in our country many stone axes found in our province, Almogía, Alora, Ronda, ... but be collected with greater abundance in the Abdalajís Valley, so I suspect that at this point would be found an important prehistoric station."
Indeed countless quantities of finds of stone axes, flint tools and prehistoric pottery found in this locality.
After primitive indigenous peoples, left important traces of their passage Iberians
. It found the existence of an Iberian population, which later came into contact with the Phoenicians and Punics
, as evidenced by the deposits of "El Nacimiento" and "Cerro del Castillo" (both have made Greek pottery fragments of the 5th century BC).
became part of the Roman Empire
. The people quickly adopted Roman culture and the Latin
language, and the transition to Roman rule was largely peaceful. As in many other places in Andalusia, the current city plan and the name originate from when Spain was part of the Roman Empire; the Latin name of the city was Neskania. The town appeared in the 70 (before Christ).
Under the Romans, the city was an important commercial center and an important town, as the ruins show us.
, including Vandals, Alans
, Suebi
and Visigoth
s, in the middle of the 4th century.
It hasn't an important population during the Muslim control.
Juan Alonso Serrano (Bachiller) gives Valle de Abdalajis to Juan de Eslava in 1559. Then, the village was the Juan de Eslavas lordship. In 1811, Las Cortes de Cádiz
abolished all the lord's domaind and the lordships were returned to the people. But, then, the French Domain
ends and Ferdinand VII came back, and he returned the lordships to their lords. In 1833, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
turns the lordships into villages govern by means of city councils.
are an important kind of flamenco
music. It is a typical music and dance of the Malaga
province.
Verdiales are a kind of Fandango.
A Verdiales band is formed by a violin, a guitar, a lot of cymbals and tambourines.
The village has two verdiales bands.
There are 3 different Verdiales styles: Comares
, Los Montes and Almogía
style. The village sings Almogía style.
s, grain
, and milk
). Today, rural tourism
is an important industry, but the olive
s production is the main economic source.
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from Málaga. It has a population of approximately 3000 residents. The natives are called Vallesteros or Vallunos.
Geography
The village is in the heart of the Penibetica mountain ranges and it's at the foot of the Abdalajís mountain range. The municipality is one of the smallest, in terms of area, in the province of Málaga. It has 21.4 km². It belongs to the Valle del GuadalhorceValle del Guadalhorce
The Valle del Guadalhorce is a comarca in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. It includes 8 municipalities and is part of the natural region of the Guadalhorce river.Coín is traditionally considered the most important town in the comarca...
region.
Valle de Abdalajís is near to Antequera
Antequera
Antequera is a city and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" because of its central location among Málaga, Granada, Córdoba, and Seville...
(21 km), Álora
Álora
Álora is a town of southern Spain, part of the province of Málaga, located c. 40 km from Málaga, on the right bank of the river Guadalhorce, and on the Córdoba-Málaga high-speed rail line...
and the city of Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
(50 km).
Flora and fauna
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
mountain town, abounding in low brush scrub and xerophytic vegetation
Xerophyte
A xerophyte or xerophytic organism is a plant which has adapted to survive in an environment that lacks water, such as a desert. Xerophytic plants may have adapted shapes and forms or internal functions that reduce their water loss or store water during long periods of dryness...
due to dry and hot weather. Furthermore, the rockiness of the mountains and the fate of the lands to the cultivation of almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
, grain and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees, the forests are absent.
In the mountains gives predominantly the typical vegetation of Mediterranean limestone areas characterized by low scrub (thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
, rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...
, lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
, gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
, prickly pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
s, agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
s, palms, rock roses, hawthorn and broom), plus a number lower plant as evergreens, vincas, St John's Wort
St John's wort
St John's wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed....
, poppies, peonies, lilies
Lilium
Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though the range extends into the northern subtropics...
, some types of orchids Mediterranean ... In the margins of the stream (The Arroyo de las piedras stream) are numerous species of vegetation of Mediterranean coastline and promenade, such as blackberries, rushes and sedges, Oleander
Oleander
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. It is most commonly known as oleander, from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated olive Olea, but has many other...
, water lily, watercress, matagallos, ivy, ... However, the riparian woody vegetation has completely disappeared due to cultivation of the fields adjacent to the stream.
In spite of what popularly believed, currently there is no natural reserve (national park, nature reserve, natural park ...) in the municipality Abdalajís Valley, although there is the natural landscape of Los Gaitanes in the neighboring towns of Alora, Antequera and Ardales.
The Sierra de Abdalajís has, however, an interesting fauna amongst which are a considerable number of protected species such as owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, ibex, griffon vulture
Griffon Vulture
The Griffon Vulture is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.The Griffon Vulture is long with a wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh and females typically weigh , while in the Indian subspecies the vultures average...
, golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, the ladder snake, the Horseshoe Whip Snake
Horseshoe Whip Snake
The horseshoe whip snake is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.-Geographic range:It is found in Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar and Tunisia.-Description:...
, wild cats, genets or Ocellated lizard. In addition, a variety of smaller birds (swifts, sparrows, canaries, robins, swallows ...), insects, spiders and small mammals (rabbits, hares, moles).
In the surroundings of the stream avenue are common frogs and toads, water snakes, common turtle, terrapin, foxes, rabbits, hares, ferrets, badgers and other species common in the Mediterranean area.
Prehistory and Iberian peoples
The situation of this small valley between the lands of GuadalhorceGuadalhorce
The Guadalhorce River is the principal river of the Province of Málaga, southern Spain....
, communication channel to the sea and the city of Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and Antequera
Antequera
Antequera is a city and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" because of its central location among Málaga, Granada, Córdoba, and Seville...
land between the Upper and Lower Andalusia, make it an important step along the history . A story that although was very ancient history, as evidenced by the numerous remains found in the area, has its first significant page in the Iberians
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
times.
Since prehistoric times, the Abdalajís Valley has served as a must or a link between the area of the Guadalhorce and the Vega de Antequera which has provided an extraordinary archaeological wealth and evidenced by numerous archaeological sites and remains found in his term municipal (the caves called Cuevas del Gato and the cave called Cueva del ermitaño).
Already in the last century, writers such as Guillen Robles Berlanga and were amazed at it. This author in his book "Historia de Málaga y su provincia" said: "... have also been found in our country many stone axes found in our province, Almogía, Alora, Ronda, ... but be collected with greater abundance in the Abdalajís Valley, so I suspect that at this point would be found an important prehistoric station."
Indeed countless quantities of finds of stone axes, flint tools and prehistoric pottery found in this locality.
After primitive indigenous peoples, left important traces of their passage Iberians
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
. It found the existence of an Iberian population, which later came into contact with the Phoenicians and Punics
Punics
The Punics were a group of western Semitic-speaking peoples from Carthage in North Africa who traced their origins to a group of Phoenician and Cypriot settlers, but also to North African Berbers . Punics were probably a mix of Berbers and Phoenicians in terms of culture and ancestry...
, as evidenced by the deposits of "El Nacimiento" and "Cerro del Castillo" (both have made Greek pottery fragments of the 5th century BC).
Roman Era
In the last quarter of the 1st millennium BCE, the Iberian peninsulaIberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
became part of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The people quickly adopted Roman culture and the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
language, and the transition to Roman rule was largely peaceful. As in many other places in Andalusia, the current city plan and the name originate from when Spain was part of the Roman Empire; the Latin name of the city was Neskania. The town appeared in the 70 (before Christ).
Under the Romans, the city was an important commercial center and an important town, as the ruins show us.
Middle ages: Al-Andalus and Christian Conquest
The Roman town is destroyed by people crossing the PyreneesPyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, including Vandals, Alans
Alans
The Alans, or the Alani, occasionally termed Alauni or Halani, were a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian.-Name:The various forms of Alan —...
, Suebi
Suebi
The Suebi or Suevi were a group of Germanic peoples who were first mentioned by Julius Caesar in connection with Ariovistus' campaign, c...
and Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
s, in the middle of the 4th century.
It hasn't an important population during the Muslim control.
Juan Alonso Serrano (Bachiller) gives Valle de Abdalajis to Juan de Eslava in 1559. Then, the village was the Juan de Eslavas lordship. In 1811, Las Cortes de Cádiz
Cádiz Cortes
The Cádiz Cortes were sessions of the national legislative body which met in the safe haven of Cádiz during the French occupation of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars...
abolished all the lord's domaind and the lordships were returned to the people. But, then, the French Domain
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
ends and Ferdinand VII came back, and he returned the lordships to their lords. In 1833, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was Queen consort of Spain and Regent of Spain .-Early years and first marriage:...
turns the lordships into villages govern by means of city councils.
Verdiales
VerdialesVerdiales
Verdiales are a Flamenco music style, and song form belonging to Canté Chico.Originating in Almogia, near the Spanish port of Málaga in Andalucia, it is based upon the fandango...
are an important kind of flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
music. It is a typical music and dance of the Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
province.
Verdiales are a kind of Fandango.
A Verdiales band is formed by a violin, a guitar, a lot of cymbals and tambourines.
The village has two verdiales bands.
There are 3 different Verdiales styles: Comares
Comares
Comares is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 28 kilometres from the provincial capital and 24 from Vélez Málaga. It has a population of approximately 1420 residents. The...
, Los Montes and Almogía
Almogía
Almogía is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 25 km from Malaga capital. It has a population of approximately 4,300 residents...
style. The village sings Almogía style.
Risk sports
In the village mountains can practising climbing, paragliding and others risk sports.Economy
Historically, the region's economy was based on the production and processing of agricultural products (oliveOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
). Today, rural tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is an important industry, but the olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s production is the main economic source.