Águilas
Encyclopedia
Águilas is a municipality
and seaport of southeastern Spain
, in the province of Murcia
. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean
coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida
, near the border with the Province of Almería
.
.
Águilas is built on the landward side of a small peninsula, between two bays—the Puerto Poniente, a good harbour, on the south-west, and the Puerto Levante, which is somewhat dangerous to shipping in rough weather, on the north-east. The town is at the terminus of a railway from Huercal-Overa.
Águilas houses numerous beaches, including Cala de la Cueva de las Palomas, Cala de la Herradura, Playa Amarilla, Playa de Calabardina, Playa de Calacerrada, Playa de Cope, Playa de la Cañada del Negro, Playa de la Casica Verde, Playa de la Cola, Playa de la Colonia, Playa de la Galera, Playa de la Higuerica, Playa de la Rambla Elena, Playa de las Pulgas, Playa de los Cocedores, Playa de Poniente, Playa del Arroz and Playa del Barranco de la Mar.
times as Aquilae and later Aquila, Águilas belonged to the community of Bastetania and the province of Tarraconense
. Various civilisations settle Águilas, including the Alans
, the Suebi
and the Visigoths. It formed part of Spanish Carthage
until the Arab
invasion of the Iberian Peninsula
. It was known to the Arabs as آقِلَة (Áqila). It has belonged to the Córdoban
caliph
ate and the Kingdom of Valencia
, later coming under Almoravidan control and finally ending up definitively included in the Kingdom of Murcia in the 18th century.
During the second half of the 19th century, a vast British
colony arrived at the town, a definite presence of which still lingers in Águilas. Many of their diverse buildings and infrastructure still stand, such as the British cemetery, the municipal annexe, the Hornillo Pier, facing the Isle of Fraile, and the old house of an English
merchant, situated on that island.
The town as it is now was designed by Charles III
in the 18th century. Of particular note is the Castle of Saint John of Águilas, which was used as a defence tower by various civilisations who settled there throughout history. The city was extended by the construction of its sister port, maritime walks and its serene bays of Levante and Poniente. At the end stands the slender figure of the Chimenea de la Loma (Chimney on the Hill), a symbol of the mineral boom of the last century. During the Restoration, owing to the great investment by the British, a route was laid between Lorca
, Baza
and Águilas in order to transport esparto
or the other exported minerals, making the town one of the principal ports of the Mediterranean. It is in this period that the Hornillo Pier, a great architectural work of the time made of iron and concrete, was constructed.
Today, the economy of the locality depends principally on summertime tourism by middle-class visitors and the intensive agriculture of greenhouse vegetables. The construction of various luxury residential and hotel complexes is planned, primarily aimed at foreigners and high-worth domestic purchasers. The ubiquity of these new developments in locations designated as 'protected' by the European Union
(for example, the Regional Park of Cabo Cope-Calnerge, or La Zerrichera, and the foreseeable construction of ancillary golf complexes, has generated much hostility amongst ecological, agricultural and neighbourhood resident groups, although the bulk of citizens of the municipality have accepted the proposals without protest. However, in November 2005, the issue escalated with the resignation of a Partido Popular
member and close advisor to Mayor Juan Ramírez Soto due to financial interests in La Zerrichera, and the expulsion from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
of four advisors for not attending the plenary session on the re-classification of the areas concerned. According to local newspaper La Verdad
, the Mayor stated that these farms had been categorised "by accident".
Another major problem suffered by the town is its political instability, caused by a strange boom in regional political parties during the mid-1990s (there were no less than three in the 2003 elections) and by political defections.
The Spanish actor Francisco "Paco" Rabal
, was born in Cuesta de Gos, a hamlet within the municipality of Águilas.
team, Águilas CF
is one of the oldest teams in Spain.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and seaport of southeastern 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...
, in the province of Murcia
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida
Costa Cálida
The Costa Cálida is the approximately 250 km stretch of Mediterranean coastline of the Spanish province of Murcia. This region has a micro-climate which features comparatively hot mean annual temperatures and a relative degree of aridity .-Geography and location :The Costa Cálida extends from El...
, near the border with the Province of Almería
Almería (province)
-History:The rich customs and Fiestas of the denizens retain links deep into the past, unto the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Phoenicians.During the taifa era, it was ruled by the Moor Banu al-Amiri from 1012 to 1038, briefly annexed by Valencia , then given by Zaragoza to the Banu Sumadih...
.
Location and geography
The municipality has an area of approximately 253.7 km², with some 28 km of coastline. It is 105 km from the provincial capital, MurciaMurcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
.
Águilas is built on the landward side of a small peninsula, between two bays—the Puerto Poniente, a good harbour, on the south-west, and the Puerto Levante, which is somewhat dangerous to shipping in rough weather, on the north-east. The town is at the terminus of a railway from Huercal-Overa.
Águilas houses numerous beaches, including Cala de la Cueva de las Palomas, Cala de la Herradura, Playa Amarilla, Playa de Calabardina, Playa de Calacerrada, Playa de Cope, Playa de la Cañada del Negro, Playa de la Casica Verde, Playa de la Cola, Playa de la Colonia, Playa de la Galera, Playa de la Higuerica, Playa de la Rambla Elena, Playa de las Pulgas, Playa de los Cocedores, Playa de Poniente, Playa del Arroz and Playa del Barranco de la Mar.
History
Known in RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times as Aquilae and later Aquila, Águilas belonged to the community of Bastetania and the province of Tarraconense
Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
. Various civilisations settle Águilas, including the 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 —...
, the 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 the Visigoths. It formed part of Spanish Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
until the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
invasion of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian 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...
. It was known to the Arabs as آقِلَة (Áqila). It has belonged to the Córdoban
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
ate and the Kingdom of Valencia
Kingdom of Valencia
The Kingdom of Valencia , located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. When the Crown of Aragon merged by dynastic union with the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Valencia became a component realm of the...
, later coming under Almoravidan control and finally ending up definitively included in the Kingdom of Murcia in the 18th century.
During the second half of the 19th century, a vast British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
colony arrived at the town, a definite presence of which still lingers in Águilas. Many of their diverse buildings and infrastructure still stand, such as the British cemetery, the municipal annexe, the Hornillo Pier, facing the Isle of Fraile, and the old house of an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
merchant, situated on that island.
The town as it is now was designed by Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
in the 18th century. Of particular note is the Castle of Saint John of Águilas, which was used as a defence tower by various civilisations who settled there throughout history. The city was extended by the construction of its sister port, maritime walks and its serene bays of Levante and Poniente. At the end stands the slender figure of the Chimenea de la Loma (Chimney on the Hill), a symbol of the mineral boom of the last century. During the Restoration, owing to the great investment by the British, a route was laid between Lorca
Lorca
Lorca is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 36 miles southwest of the city of Murcia. It had a population of 92,694 in 2010, up from the 2001 census total of 77,477. Lorca is the municipality with the second-largest surface area in Spain with...
, Baza
Baza, Granada
Baza is a town in the province of Granada in southern Spain. It has 21,000 inhabitants . It is situated at 844 m above sea level, in the Hoya de Baza, a valley of the Sierra Nevada, not far from the Gallego River. This town gives its name to the Sierra de Baza...
and Águilas in order to transport esparto
Esparto
Esparto, or esparto grass, also known as "halfah grass" or "needle grass", Macrochloa tenacissima and Stipa tenacissima, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula employed for crafts .-Esparto paper:It is also used for fiber production for paper...
or the other exported minerals, making the town one of the principal ports of the Mediterranean. It is in this period that the Hornillo Pier, a great architectural work of the time made of iron and concrete, was constructed.
Today, the economy of the locality depends principally on summertime tourism by middle-class visitors and the intensive agriculture of greenhouse vegetables. The construction of various luxury residential and hotel complexes is planned, primarily aimed at foreigners and high-worth domestic purchasers. The ubiquity of these new developments in locations designated as 'protected' by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(for example, the Regional Park of Cabo Cope-Calnerge, or La Zerrichera, and the foreseeable construction of ancillary golf complexes, has generated much hostility amongst ecological, agricultural and neighbourhood resident groups, although the bulk of citizens of the municipality have accepted the proposals without protest. However, in November 2005, the issue escalated with the resignation of a Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
member and close advisor to Mayor Juan Ramírez Soto due to financial interests in La Zerrichera, and the expulsion from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
of four advisors for not attending the plenary session on the re-classification of the areas concerned. According to local newspaper La Verdad
La Verdad
Diario La Verdad is a Venezuelan regional newspaper, headquartered in Maracaibo, in the western state of Zulia. Its slogan is "Por la libertad intelectual del Zulia" ....
, the Mayor stated that these farms had been categorised "by accident".
Another major problem suffered by the town is its political instability, caused by a strange boom in regional political parties during the mid-1990s (there were no less than three in the 2003 elections) and by political defections.
Culture
Festivals include:- CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
- Nuestra Señora de los Dolores: Friday before EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, folk festivals and procession with the holy sculpture of Our Lady.
The Spanish actor Francisco "Paco" Rabal
Francisco Rabal
Francisco Rabal , perhaps better known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor born in Águilas, a small town in the province of Murcia, Spain....
, was born in Cuesta de Gos, a hamlet within the municipality of Águilas.
Sports
The local footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Águilas CF
Águilas CF
Águilas Club de Fútbol was a Spanish football team based in Águilas, in the autonomous community of Murcia. Founded in 1925 and dissolved in 2010, it played its last season in Segunda División B - Group 2, holding home games at Estadio El Rubial, with a 3,000 seat capacity.-History:Águilas was...
is one of the oldest teams in Spain.
External links
- Official website
- Águilas Office of Tourism
- www.todoaguilas.com
- www.aguilasmurcia.com
- Website of Águilas CF
- Aguilas local information local info & photos from Viva Murcia