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History of Sedella

Diputación de Málaga
Casa Torreón, Sedella. Axarquía

History of Sedella

This town’s history goes back to Prehistoric times. Despite the fact that not a lot of remains or evidence have been dug up, it is commonly believed that man has been wandering around this area from the very early days of his existence. Some flint axe heads and other hunting tools have been discovered, though.

The Romans and the Puncis also established settlements in this area, as is evidenced by the coins and pottery found in the area.

As for the original origin of the name, it may, in fact, be from the Latin, "sedilia", which in the Early Roman Empire meant “settlement or rural belongings”, however, the oldest name is still, "Villa del Castillo". In the VIIth century and before the arrival of the Arabs, there was a settlement that appeared on the maps drawn up by the church and commisioned by the Visigoth King Wamba, called, “Sedille”. Before this, the bishop of Malaga talked of his congregation in Sedilla. After the Christian reconquest it was known as Xedalia.

However, according to popular legend, the original name dates back to the time of the Reconquest, when there was a battle between Christians and Moors at a place called Arroyo de la Matanza. When Queen Isabel was asked if she had heard of this battle, she replied, “Sê de ella" ( Literally means: Yes, I have heard of it).

Around 1570, once the Reconquest was over and the Moors had all been expelled from the area that the village was seen to be very under populated and had to have new inhabitants come in from Carmona (Seville) and La Mancha. At the end of the past century, it almost was left totally unpopulated due to the large number of people who chose to move around at that time. In fact, according to the local stories, most of them went to Chile and Venezuela following in the footsteps of Fray Antonio de Sedella (Don Antonio Ildelfonso Moreno Arce), which, in the 18th century travelled from the north of Canada to the Golf of Mêxico and from Missouri to Kansas. Whatever be the case, the inhabitants from Sedella did not do as their Andalusian contemporaries did and emigrate to Europe. Rubite is a small hamlet that this village shares with its neighbouring Canillas de Aceituno.

The village centre’s layout is typically Arabic, as is most of the Axarquia region. The steep streets hide the foundations of its Arab castle/fortress. There are very few new houses, so the village still has its origiunal apperarence. There is an ancient Arab Baths behind one of the houses that is used today as a stables. In the Casa del Torreón, the ancient Manor house of the Lord of Sedella, there are Moorish drawings on the facade of the house. Right in front is the Iglesia de San Andrês Apóstol, from the 16th century.

The local economy is waking up to the importance of rural tourism, and there is even a British rental company that rents a lot properties here to their customers. There is also a keen interest in gastronomic matters, which is seen in the restoration of several restaurants with their typical dishes from the area. Several elements from the village life of old have also been restored, as is the case of the grain mill along with the constuction of a museum that attempts to show visitors waht life was like in the past and what kind of tools and utensils were used. However, the uniqueness of Sedella lies in its location within the Sierra Tejeda, and at the foot of the Maroma mountain. There is quite a rare form of Yew tree in the area which was once so abundant that a whole mountainside was named after it. Anyway, Sedella is still a very agricultural village with allotments, orchards, olives, almonds and vineyards.