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History of Moclinejo

Diputación de Málaga
Arco de entrada, Moclinejo

History of Moclinejo

According to some historians the name Moclinejo comes from the Arab word "Moclin", which means "lugar de distrito”.

The town of Moclinejo was the scene of a an important historic event during the period of the reconquest by the Catholic Kings in the 15th century that later gave its name to the Hoya de los Muertos or Cuesta de Matanza. In 1483 Mulay Hacen was dethroned and expelled by force from Granada and he ended up taking refuge in the castle in this village. This action made the local Christians angry and they tried to teach then a lesson they would not forget. However, the Arabs were too organised and strong and attacked from high ground causing multiple deaths amongst the group of Christians who attacked them. This victory made Mulay Hacen famous for many kilometres all around.

Later, already integrated into the kingdom of the Catholic Monarchs, Moclinejo experience some booming thanks to the exploitation of its vineyards, but they were destroyed after the phylloxera plague in 1878, which began in this county for later extend for the rest of the province of Malaga.

The centre of town is the Plaza of Spain, where take place almost every event. This enclave retains all its charm to be paved for handmade pieces, pride of the locals. The streets, like most Arabs, are quite narrow. But in the surroundings we can find beautiful natural landscapes like the deep and steep up ravines. For example, we have already mentioned in the Cuesta de la matanza (the Slaughter uphill or uphill of Velez) or the ravine of the "Hole of the Dead" (Hoya de los Muertos).

Its inhabitants have always been trying to win the battle against time. The habit of going to wash the face in the fountain of El Chorrillo during the holiday of San Juan to slow aging proves it. But the persistence of the landscape and the modes of production, almost unchanged for two centuries. This can corroborate seeing its beautiful farmhouses, preceded by sunny “paseros” (grape drier). And this is because local economy is based on the production of sweet wine and raisins. Anyway, the old farmhouses that were scattered through the hills of Cordoba and Piedrasblancas, have been swallowed up by time and those preserved, crafted as foreigners who have fixed their residence here. Moclinejo and hamlet, Los Valdês, account for nearly the entire population. And the territory lives almost exclusively of the vine, although there is some olive, almond and floral and fruit crops. From the point of view of the craft, is interesting to mention the wrought iron, baskets or candy making.