LANDSCAPE
The slow and continuous action of the rain, snow and
wind on the rocky landscape over hundreds of thousands
of years caused a process of partial erosion and dissolving
which has produced a shaping of the landscape both peculiar
and characteristic, known as karst or karstic landscape.
 El
Torcal encloses in its limited area one of the
most impressive examples of karstic rock formations
in Europe. For this reason alone, it was the first
area of Andalucía to be protected as a Natural
Site of National Interest, in the year 1929.
One of the forms that karst produces
is the ‘dolina’ or ‘torcal’,
both of which refer to a phenomenon in which underground
caves collapse, producing sudden chasms in the surface
of the terrain. These small subsidences or circular holes
with flat floors are filled with a reddish clay, an indissoluble
residue called terra rossa, red earth. From this precise
geological oddity comes the name of this National Site
of National Interest.
The emblem of El Torcal is one of the numerous formations
that the erosion has fashioned into shapes resembling
screws and which, for their singularity, have
been declared a Natural Monument.
This environment, of great aesthetic beauty and inhospitable
appearance, is the habitat of numerous indigenous species
of flora, small carnivores and raptors such as the vulture.
Gastronomy
Some of the most representative dishes and specialities
of the Antequera region are, apart from its molletes,
sweet and light bread rolls, the ajoblanco soup of almond
and garlic, porra, a thick vegetable stew similar to
gazpacho, embutidos (country sausages) and chanfaina,
a paella-like dish largely of lamb and sweetmeats with
vegetables and wild herbs. Its repostería, baking
and confectionery, is justifiably famous. In its traditional
bakeries and enclosed convents (historically, if mysteriously,
a font of sinfully sweet delights) the bakers and cooks
produce alfajores (a confection of honey, lemon, almonds,
eggs, bread and flour ), angelorum (similar to but lighter
than alfajores), bienmesabe (eggs, biscuits, sherry,
meringue cakes), polvorones (festive biscuits), mantecados
(sweet lard breads or rolls) and pastelillos de gloria,
a sweetened fruits tartlet also known as pastelillos
de paraiso, paradise.
Artisan culture
The great artisan tradition of Antequera, orfebrería,
gold, silver and metal work, has been overtaken for the
most part by crafts using simpler materials such as wicker,
esparto grass, glass, metals and wood, among others.
Situation
In the centre of the province of Málaga (8 km
south of Antequera). Area: 2,008 hectares. Altitude:
between 800 and 1,369 m above sea level. Average monthly
temperatures: 8ºC (January) to 26ºC (July).
Average annual rainfall: 500 mm. Municipalities: Antequera
and Villanueva de la Concepción
Activities
- Hiking
- Climbing
- Potholing
|
About
Andalucía
The
human presence in El Torcal stretches back into
prehistory, as witnessed by the Neolithic remains
found in various archeological excavations here,
such as those at the Cueva del Toro and
those of Marinaleda I, among
others. Equally, more recent discoveries of Roman
origin have been made that point to the use of
limestone in the construction of villas close
to El Torcal: Osqua,
Nescania and Antikaria (La Antigua),
the ancient name of Antequera,
a town of many monuments constructed through
many centuries and protected by the Sierra, and
equal to those at Villanueva de la Concepción.
Numerous church belltowers and famed convents
stick out on a horizon of chalk white and Arab
tiled roofs in this central Andalucían
town, which dominates fertile agricultural lowlands.
It is also linked to the famous legend of the ‘Peña
de los Enamorados’ (suffering of the lovers),
or the ‘Cabeza del Indio’,
a local Romeo and Juliet story
of two young star-cross’d lovers, one Christian,
the other Muslim, who leapt to their deaths rather
than be parted.
