The municipality of Villanueva del Trabuco is situated in the southwestern extreme of the Antequera region, at the foot of the Gorda and San Jorge sierras, which belong to the Arco Calizo Central of the province of Malaga. The presence of these sierras bring areas of great beauty which act as a background to the town and the fields which surround it. In order to make touristic use of these scenic resources, the town hall is presently building a small camping spot next to the lane which ascends the San Jorge sierra next to the Choza brook’s mouth.

At the foot of the sierras, the landscape is formed by very smooth reliefs which are covered in cereals and olive groves, and on the plain there are frequently plots scattered with farmhouses. In the municipality of Villanueva del Trabuco, the two brooks which come from the two previously mentioned sierras, plus the Gibalto sierra, run together to form the Guadalhorce river. The abundance of springs at the foot of the sierra allows these brooks to maintain a small flow during most of the year and therefore on the brooks of the rivers there are black poplars, poplars, and ashes, which together with the water, invites one to spend a good day in the countryside.

As with the nearby municipalities, man was here since prehistory, as proven by the archaeological sites in the muncipal district, but after the Roman era and their continuation with the presence of the visigodes, the area hardly shows signs of any important human presence.

As with most of the towns who have the head of their administrative area in Archidona, it is in the 18th century when the present nucleus appears. The founding of these towns, among which is Villanueva del Trabuco, comes from king Carlos III’s wish of repopulating the lands, due to his agricultural aptitude, but in those times the land was unbroken and was home to all sorts of vermin. Another reason why the lands were not worked was the long distance from the inhabited areas.

Carlos III, informed by the ministers , Olarde and Campomanes, decided to bring foreign settlers (the natives refused to work the lands because of the insecurity they presented. Six thousand catholic German and Flemish colonizers arrived, who after occupying the areas of Sierra Morena, went on to other places in Andalusia and among them the area of Malaga which have towns with the name Villanueva.

Places to Visit

The most interesting building is the parish church, built at the end of the 18th century and restored in the 50’s. It has a white tower, raised over the main door, and interior coating with tiles.

There are diverse points of environmental and scenic interest in the municipal district.

Shopping

It is possible to be supplied with oil and flour from the town’s factories. There is no handicraft for outside commercialization. There are, however, works in forging, wicker and esparto grass.

Gastronomy

The two typical dishes of the area are ‘porra frita’ and the exquisite cod patties, as well as crackling, fried kid and the traditional ‘gazpacho’.

Festivities and traditions

Candlemas takes place on the 2nd of February. They also celebrate their main fair on the 25th of August. The patron saints festivities take place in mid September, and are dedicated to the Virgen de los Dolores.

They also celebrate a cattle fair with the concentration of species and cattle farmers.