Culturally significant landscape in Casares

The aim of this route is help you better understand the landscapes in and around the town and municipality of Casares, located in the south-western tip of the Province of Málaga. The area is part of the Western Costa del Sol, which is found on the coast between the city of Málaga and the city of Algeciras. The municipality spans 162.2 km² and is made up of a variety of landscapes shaped by its coastline, mountains and plains. The town lies between Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja nature reserve and two elevations of the Sierra Crestellina nature reserve. The latter belongs to the Subbaetic System and to the west borders the foothills of Campo de Gibraltar. Here, limestone rock has resulted in steep, rugged terrain, which meets with the eastern side of the Genal Valley. The nearby river and plain also mean part of the municipality has deep, loose and fertile soil.

Thanks to its diverse geography and geology, the area in and around Casares has a number of distinct landscapes. These include the cork oaks found on the flysch of Gibraltar, the olive groves and palm trees that thrive in the looser soil of the lowlands, and the holm oaks, mastic trees and hawthorns that grow in its chalky soil. Although trees are the defining feature of its natural landscapes, there is also some farming (particularly pastoral farming) in the area. It is precisely these contrasts which led humans to settle in this area many millennia ago. In Hispano-Roman times, a fortress was built in Lacipo, near to present-day Casares, following the coming together of local groups to defend themselves against the imperialist ambitions of Carthage. During the Roman period, Lacipo became a thriving city, even creating its own mint of Punic tradition in the 2nd century BC. In fact, it was such a well-established Roman city than well into the 1st century AD, it still had a forum and town walls.

During the Late Middle Ages, the town became a place of great strategic importance due to its location on the border between the Almohad and Marinid dominions and the Kingdom of Castile. It also controlled access inland to the Comarca de Ronda. This period played an important role in shaping the current landscape of Casares. Here, in 1361 an important alliance was forged between Muhammad V of Granada and Peter of Castile, which recognised Casares as a defensive outpost belonging to the Arabs. This alliance remained in place until the beginning of the 15th century when Serranía de Ronda was captured and the city decided to surrender around 1487, becoming part of the Kingdom of Castile. Following the arrival of Christian settlers, a number of revolts were organised by the Moors, which ended with the death of al-Fair at the end of the 16th century.

Another particularly important period in the history of Casares was during the French occupation of Spain. During this time, locals were a constant menace to the invading troops until they withdrew in 1813, preventing them from subduing the town. Following the demise of the Señorío de Casares, the sharp contrast between the working class and bourgeoisie landowners was a constant source of conflict. At the beginning of the 20th century, a republican workers’ movement began in this western-most area of the province, and Casares and Marbella became the two towns with the greatest number of supporters. It is within this context that Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas, born in 1885 and the town’s most illustrious figure, wrote El Ideal Andaluz (The Andalusian Ideal) in 1915. In it, he described the hardship he had witnessed amongst its people. The layout of the town and its architecture is the result of its steep, rugged terrain. This has given rise to a whitewashed Moorish town with houses of all shapes and sizes, overlooked by the ruins of an 13th-century fortress. These unique features saw it become a Historic-Artistic Site in 1978. It also features on almost any route of whitewashed towns and villages in the Province of Málaga. Given the extraordinary way the town has used the natural landscape to its advantage and the role it has historically played in controlling the area, the decision was made to include it on the Register of Landscapes of Cultural Interest in Andalusia under the category ‘Security and Defence’.

The route takes you through the old town of Casares and provides you with information to help you understand its cultural landscape as well as the historical events that have given rise to what we see today. It begins at the site of the old visitor centre. This is located on the  A-7150  and offers sweeping views of the town. You will then enter the old town via Calle Carrera, the historic road used to access Casares from the town of Gaucín in the north. Here, you will find the house where Blas Infante was born. It then takes you through the old town until you reach the highest point in Casares. Here, on a rocky plateau, is a castle and the remains of the original medieval settlement. The route ends in Plaza Marcelino Camacho, where you will find a former monastery that used to belong to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

The route is traveled on foot through the town of Casares, 90 km (56 mi) from the city of Málaga and 145 km (90 mi) from the city of Cádiz. It can be reached by roads  AP-7  and  A-381 .