Canillas de Aceituno
Canillas de Aceituno is a white village at 657 metres in the Axarquía at the foot of La Maroma, Málaga's highest peak, with a 16th-century Mudéjar Casa de los Diezmos on its main square.
About Canillas de Aceituno
Canillas de Aceituno stands at 657 metres on a natural balcony below La Maroma, at about 2,066 metres the highest peak in Málaga province, with views down the Vélez valley to the sea. Its Moorish castle stood on what is now Calle Castillo. The village submitted in 1487, was emptied in 1571 as punishment for the Morisco revolt and was resettled. About 1,800 people live here.
On Plaza de la Constitución, the 16th-century Casa de los Diezmos, or Casa de la Reina Mora, has a Mudéjar tower with blind paired arches, where tithes on silk and crops were collected. The Gothic-Mudéjar church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario stands on the site of the mosque, and two fountains are fed by a Moorish cistern under the town hall.
The village is 61 km east of Málaga, about an hour by car via the A-7 and Vélez-Málaga. Park on the edge; the lanes are steep and narrow, and not suitable for wheelchairs. Allow an hour, half a day for the El Saltillo walk across a 50-metre suspension bridge, or a full day for La Maroma: the signed trail climbs about 9 km and 1,450 metres. It suits serious walkers.
Spring and autumn are best; La Maroma can have snow in winter and is hot in summer, so start early. The Día de la Morcilla on the last Sunday of April celebrates the local black pudding, and the Candelarias bonfires burn on 7 and 8 September. Try morcilla, chivo and migas. Pick up trail maps at the tourist office on the main square.
Canillas de Aceituno in pictures
What you’ll find
- Car parkParkingFree
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Hiking trailHikingFree
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
- Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
Sedella (4 km) has a Mudéjar tower house with paired arches and sgraffito decoration and can be reached on foot via the El Saltillo bridge route. Salares (6 km), beyond it, keeps an Almohad minaret and a medieval bridge. Down the valley, the MVVEL Museum of Vélez-Málaga (10 km) covers the history of the Axarquía, and Playa de Torre del Mar (15 km) is the nearest long beach, with a seafront promenade. Over the sierra in Granada province, the Tajos de Alhama (17 km) gorge is a good day out by car.
Canillas de Aceituno at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Town
Canillas de Aceituno
Address
Plaza de la Constitución, 29716 Canillas de Aceituno, Málaga, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets can be visited at any time. The Casa de los Diezmos is seen from the square; the church opens for services. Tourist office: Plaza de la Constitución 8.
Prices
Free to walk around; the mountain trails are free.
Website
canillasdeaceituno.es
Phone
+34 952 518 399
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Canillas de Aceituno, nearest first.
