LA AXARQUIA
- BENAMARGOSA INFORMATION
This small town stands at the heart of the Velez-Málaga
area and is a veritable paradise of orchards and sub-tropical crops,
surrounded by the dry hills and peaks typical of the Axarquia area.
Benamargosa dates back to the 15th century, to the time of the moriscos
(Moorish converts to Christianity).
History
Like other towns in the Axarquia area, Benamargosa sprang up around
a few early dwellings inhabited by settlers farming adjacent land;
this growth really took off in the long period of stability which
followed the Moslem occupation. Both its name and its urban layout
bear testimony to the undeniable link between this enclave and mediaeval
Arabic culture.
The town fell into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs after the fall
of Velez-Málaga in 1487.
In 1496, 45 Mudejars (Moslems permitted to live under Christian rule)
lived in the village and it began to gain in importance.
In 1949, Benamargosa belonged to the tahá -administrative district-
of Comares, forming part of a group known as The Four Villages, along
with El Borge, Cutar and Almachar.
In 1546, during the reign of Philip II, it became a parish.
The Christian reconquest marked the start of a process of progressive
abandonment on the part of the local population, mainly Moorish converts
to Christianity, in the face of difficult living conditions. The last
remaining Moors were definitively expelled in the wake of the 1569
uprising which had a major effect in the whole of the Axarquia area.
In 1810, the village swore allegiance to the King of Spain, Joseph
Napoleon I, a turn of events that was to lead to the War of Independence
with France.
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