This web page uses its own cookies and the third-party cookies to collect the information which help us make the service as good as possible. By no means is our intention to use it for gathering personal data.

Cookies policy

History of Villanueva del Rosario

Diputación de Málaga
Barriada Las Carboneras, Villanueva del Rosario. Sierra Norte de Málaga

History of Villanueva del Rosario

The village was founded in the early 18th century as Puebla de Saucedo, a reference to the abundance of willow trees in the area. It originally consisted of six country hamlets which stood on crown territory belonging to the Duke of Osuna. Some of the original settlers, such as Josê and Juan Pêrez Alba, Cristóbal Navas and Paula Gómez, still live on in the memory of the local populace even today.

The influence of the founding families, intermarriage and the arrival of settlers from neighbouring villages saw the population grow to such an extent that by the start of the 19th century it boasted 1,378 inhabitants. In accordance with a Royal Decree issued by the Cortes de Cádiz government dated 7th of October 1812, the inhabitants of Puebla del Saucedo proceeded to mark out the boundaries of their village in 1813. However, the people of Archidona, led by their governor, resorted to violent means in order to prevent them from doing so.

Nevertheless, they finally achieved their objective in February 1813, with the ensuing friction and bad feeling between the two villages leading to the decision to separate them, a measure which was executed in May 1821. However, Archidona appealed to the Royal Chancellery of Granada, insisting that Puebla del Saucedo was merely an Archidona thoroughfare. The Royal Chancellery agreed and ordered that the territory be restored to Archidona.

Naturally, the people of Puebla del Saucedo did not accept this decision and took their grievance to King’s Chamber Council in 1824. A Royal Despatch signed by King Fernando 7th on the 21st of October 1827 saw the village granted its definitive separation from Archidona. Three years later, its name was changed to the present-day Villanueva del Rosario.

In order to really get to know Villanueva del Rosario, it is essential to understand the village’s orography. The River Guadalhorce traverses the village and a total of six streams flow within its boundaries. The cliffs at Las Grutas del Buitre are of breathtaking beauty, while the impressive rocky landscape of El Torcal is repeated in the Camarolo, Gordo and Hondonero sierras. It is within the fault line of the latter range that the village itself is situated.