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Cuentos y Leyenda de Alcaucín.

Diputación de Málaga
Portada Guía de cuentos y leyendas de la Axarquía.ESP

Cuentos y Leyenda de Alcaucín.

Zip Code 29711
Chronicles and Legends (si se trata de historia)

The name Alcaucîn comes from the Arabic “alqausin”, meaning “the bows”, probably because the farmstead at Alcaucîn was known for the making of bows and arrows. But the legend gives it the privilege of being one of the first areas in the region to be inhabited by man. This has been documented by the excavations carried out in Boquete de Zafarraya (Boquete Gap) where extremely important archeological remains such as pottery dating from different periods and a Neanderthal jaw, have been uncovered.

 

  • Name of its inhabitants:

Alcaucinenos.

  • Famous personalities:

Manuel Cañizares Martîn was an interesting personalityin Alcaucîn; he was a captain was formed part of thetroops called “the last of the Philippines”.

  • Legend:

Among its legends there is one that tells of when, following the Council of Elvira, that took place in Granada, Saint Patrick who at the time was bishop of the church in Málaga, visited the city of Zalia, a town that had sprung up around Zalia Castle in the district of Alcaucîn, for a second time with the aim of convert the inhabitants to Christianity, something he had been unable to do the first time round. However, he was also unsuccessful on his second visit and so, downhearted, he left the town and headed back to Málaga. The story goes that, that night, cracks began to appear in the ground and vipers started to come out and bite the inhabitants to death; this forced the people to leave the town which from that time has been uninhabited. This is how the terrible biblical god punished the unbelieving people of Zalîa.

The inhabitants fled for their lives and sought to settle in nearby places, reaching Alcaucîn, Periana, Canillas de Aceituno and La Vinuela.

Another well-known legend refers to the construction by the Arabs of Zalîa Castle with its double walled ring, which would later become one of the prisons which would house the Moorish heroes during the revolts and uprisings of 1.569.

The story goes that the last kinglet gave the order to hide the wealth that had been amassed deep in the castle so that they would not be lost in the face of the imminent conquest.

 

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Discover more about the province of Malaga

Discover more about the province of Malaga