Alpandeire

The municipality of Alpandeire is located in the Serranía de Ronda in the province of Malaga, surrounded by the natural beauty characteristic of the Genal Valley. It is surrounded by a landscape of chestnut trees, cork oaks, pines and olive trees typical of the area.

The town centre is made up of a labyrinth of narrow streets and whitewashed façades, vestiges of its Andalusian history. The local name for the inhabitants of Alpandeire is “pandito".

Portada IIAs we walk through these narrow streets, we are presented with a scene that takes us back in time, tells us stories and anecdotes of our ancestors, evokes other times and other customs that, in short, constitute our present.

The municipality of Alpandeire is divided into two areas with different environmental characteristics. In the northern area there is a less wooded area, due to the indiscriminate felling of trees that the region suffered centuries ago, and which still has consequences today. In this part we find scrubland, mostly rockroses and gorse. The southern part of the municipality is totally different, due to the water flow that accompanies these lands both in winter and summer. In this part we find a fertile area where the villagers have developed their agricultural activity for years, with fruit trees and vegetables. In the same way, the proximity to the river Genal, has favoured a wide extension of cork oaks, holm oaks, chaparros and other trees of similar characteristics.

The animal species that live in this area due to its orography are rabbits and partridges, although they are also in danger of extinction. In the southern area we can find wild boars and roe deer, as well as a wide range of birds such as woodpeckers and bubillas.

History

The oldest documents speak of Pandeire in Arab times, one of the first posts founded by the Muslims after the battle of Guadelete. Thus, everything points to this being the origin of the urban centre, although the archaeological remains found in the municipality testify to human presence since prehistoric times, the Age of Metals. Burial sites have been found, such as those of Encinas Borrachas, Montero and the Giant’s Grave. Ceramic remains and buildings have also been found, such as those of Vasija and La Mimbre.

Alpandeire was conquered when the Plaza de Ronda fell in 1485. Since then, Alpandeire remained as a place of Realengo and belonging to Ronda and the Moors were expelled a century later on 6 February 1572, a pragmatic order of Philip II ordered to populate the places of Alpandeire and Pospitar with 22 new neighbours to whom were distributed house and land.

In 1815 Alpandeire was granted the Royal Privilege of Villazgo by Ferdinand VII as a reward for the village’s behaviour during the French domination.

The building has a basilica floor plan with three naves. It is covered with half-barrel and groin vaults, the naves being separated by semicircular arches on pillars. The side streets of the façade have two octagonal bell towers with Moorish tile roofs. It is worth mentioning that inside the church is the font where Fray Leopoldo de Alpandeire was baptised.

In the basements of the interior there is an old cemetery, where two mummified bodies of a married couple who collaborated in its construction can be found.