Location Guide - Antequera

VERNON GRANT WRITES 

Antequera may not be the most famous location in Andalucia, but it could be the most centrally located. If drawing a line from Seville to Granada and another from Cordoba to Malaga, those lines will cross in Antequera.

Its privileged situation in Andalucía has made it one of the most important towns in the province.

With more than 800 square kilometres, this is the biggest municipality in the province of Malaga, bordering the province of Cordoba to the north and with the Mountains of Malaga to the south.

It is a place that has long been popular with British homebuyers. It may be less well known than somewhere like Ronda, but is has the advantage of being closer to the coast, as local estate agent Sarah Rick confirms.

She says: "Malaga is just 40 minutes to the south and Antequera is known as the Gateway to Andalucia because of the ease with which people can reach Seville, Granada, Cordoba and Malaga. The area is still very Spanish and offers a traditional farming background. Whilst the coast has been very popular with Brits in the past they are now seeing the benefits of inland Andalucia and this area in particular."

With the passage of time and seismic shifts, erosion has made this area into one of the most interesting and beautiful in all of Andalucía. Shell and marine-life fossils have been discovered in the valley, confirming that this area was covered in water millions of years ago.

It is a place that divides opinion.

Those who live there swear by its attractions. Those who do not say it is a place where few people read (they cite too few bookshops as proof); where the streets are not clean and where it is impossible to park. We found none of these negative comments to be wholly accurate.

Indeed Antequera is a very pleasant place with much to attract those interested in ancient Spain and those who like to shop in a location that is not so busy as to make the activity difficult.

Euan Woodward is a Training and Development Consultant whose time is split between Spain and the UK. He moved to Mollina, near Antequera, after living further north in Spain.

He says: "I saw Mollina and liked it very much. Then I went just down the road to Antequera and thought that was the icing on the cake. I sat outside cafes and watched the world go by and was really taken by the feel of the place. Antequera has lovely restaurants, plenty of shops; the mountain range El Torcal, which you can drive up to, is 10 minutes away as is the wild wolf park. The best thing about Antequera is that I feel at peace there. The place just feels right for me."

The most visited attraction in all of Spain, the Alhambra Palace in Granada, is only 90 minutes away and it is worth noting that three quarters of the cultural heritage in the entire Malaga province is actually found in and around Antequera. Its population of 40,000 is infinitesimal when compared to the size of the City of Malaga. It is a place with much to see and fewer people around to bump into you.

Soon it will be very much easier to reach Antequera due to some radical developments. The new AVE high speed train, and a regional airport to be opened just outside Antequera in 2007, will guarantee that more and more people will visit the place.

Most towns or cities in Spain have a notable landmark on their doorstep. Antequera has several.

One is La Peña de los Enamorados or lovers' cliff. This is a looming slab of rock that resembles a human face lying down, said to be that of an Indian warrior. It hides a tragic love story revolving around a Christian boy and Arab girl who were in love. Their respective families did not approve of the union. The story goes that the couple, from nearby Archidona, met secretly and finally left their respective homes. However, knowing they could never be together in life they chose to be together in death. They threw themselves from the highest cliff into the deep ravine below. As with monuments; there is often more than one tale when it comes to love stories in Spanish history.

On the edge of the town lie the Dolmen Caves, the most famous in Europe. Three vast huge rock tombs dating from 2.500BC. They were discovered in 1905 by a local gardener and when fully excavated revealed the skeletons of hundreds of Iberian people who inhabited the peninsular 45.000 years ago. The caves are open to the public.

Then there is El Torcal. This is an extraordinary collection of rocks that, upon closer inspection, appear to take on the shape of animals, birds and human faces. Its highest point is 1600 metres above the sea under which it used to sit. That was until seismic movements in the earth’s crust propelled the rocks upwards. Views from El Torcal are memorable and it would be foolish to go to Antequera and not take the short journey out of town to witness this true wonder.

Further panoramic views can be enjoyed from above the Arab castle, or Alcabazar, that dominates the town. The Moors built this on top of Roman ruins when they seized the town in the 8th century, and changed its name from Antikaria to Medina Antecaria. Keep climbing upwards and you get the best view of the numerous church towers and convents that peek out from the whitewashed houses. They are striking for their Moorish architecture and limestone facades.

For those who like to be at one with nature there are numerous places of outstanding beauty. The Fuente de Piedra is for some of the year the home to the pink flamingo.

If you prefer a more dangerous animal then wolves are on show at the aforementioned Lobo Wolf Park. Four large enclosures house different types of wolf, including the rare white Alaska-Tundra Polar variety. The 40 hectare park is also home to an array of rare plants and a pet zoo for the children.

Other tourist hotspots include the famous bullring. Many weekday visitors admire the setting but complain that its museum is only opens at weekends. Open more often is the municipal museum which is housed in the Palacio de Najera, itself a splendid 18th century building.

Antequera has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is a place that is steeped in history.

At the site of the city gates archaeological digs revealed, on one side, the ancient Roman city of Singilla Barba with its marvellous mosaics and on the other, the Dolmenes de Menga, Viera and El Romeral; magnificent megalithic constructions which are more than four thousand years old. The size of the stones used in these structures is truly amazing.

After the conquest of Seville and Jaén, Antequera took on great strategic importance as a military frontier fortification. It was conquered in 1410 by the infante Don Fernando, known in the history books as Don Fernando de Antequera.

Meanwhile, the 19th century was a tragic era for Antequera. In 1804 an outbreak of yellow fever and the Napoleonic invasion decimated the population and destroyed some of the architecture.

It took until 1830 before the place could recover and build again. A prosperous middle class emerged as a result of the growing textile industry.

Today the main industry around Antequera is the production of olive oil. The whole area around the town is covered with olive trees.

Tourism is making inroads from its base in Malaga, just 40 kilometres away.

Local agent Sarah Rick says:

"Not many Brits buy in Antequera itself. Most will buy in the countryside and villages that are within easy reach of Antequera. Places such as Villanueva de la Concepción. On the whole a lot of people are looking for accommodation that is flexible enough to allow friends and family to stay. Many people are interested in properties that have some potential for bringing in future rental income."

For those of a religious persuasion, the history and architecture of Antequera is sure to please.

Throughout the ages, Antequera was exposed to Roman, Visigoth and Arab rulers. The Christian conquest in 1410 proved the beginning of a long period of prosperity, of which the 16th and 17th centuries were a true golden age.

There are over thirty religious buildings in Antequera. The most important of these are the Real Colegiata de Santa María de la Mayor and the Church of San Sebastián. Both the economic and social advances made in Antequera during the Renaissance and Baroque periods meant the establishment of a large number of religious orders in the town at that time, including the Carmelites, the Dominicans and the Augustines. Various order of monks also based themselves in Antequera. The gothic style monastery of San Zoilo, and the national monument of Iglesia Real del Monasterio are captivating.

In town itself the Plaza de San Sebastian is the centre of Antequera and is dominated by a church bearing the same name.

Shopping is easy in Antequera and the only headache about dining out there is choosing which nationality of food takes your fancy. It is a town that can be seen and enjoyed in a day – unless you wish to visit every church there. To fully appreciate the surrounding area a car is essential.

Speak to British people living in Antequera and it seems many have searched long and hard for a home in Spain before settling in this historic town. They consistently say that it has everything they were looking for and they don’t mind that friends back in the UK have never heard of Antequera.

Euan Woodward says: "It feels like home here and I am not sure I have been able to say that about anywhere I have lived previously. When I go back to the UK I cannot wait to get back to Antequera. I have never slept so well as I do here. That may have something to do with the altitude, as Mollina is 450 metres above seal level, or it may just be because it is so peaceful here."