Cuevas de San Marcos

Cuevas de San Marcos is located within the Northeast Region of Malaga over the Antequera region, bordering with Cordoba, from the Genil river valley to the Sierra of Camorro Malnombre and Cuevas Altas. This town is situated at an altitude of 420 meters above sea level.

By road it is located at 88 km from Malaga, and 454 km from Madrid. This is a farming village, predominantly of olive growing and oil production called Hojiblanca. Its name comes from its patron saint, Saint Mark the Evangelist, and its famous Cave of Belda. It covers an area of about 37.5 km2. Its inhabitants are called cuevachos, and its population is close to 4,000 people.

History

The history of the town of Cuevas de San Marcos traces its beginnings back 200 years (1806-2006). Formerly known as High Cuevas, separation from Antequera made it independent.

A new name was given to this town and it is known today as the town of Cuevas de San Marcos. The town lies at the foot of a mountain that has experienced all the progress that has occurred throughout history.

The former Belda City, the first name of this town, was an enclave of some importance during the eras of Roman and Moorish domination. Today that name is given to the lesser known site of great interest, the Cave of Belda.

It is located on the northern side of the village and is part of a mountain range called Sierra del Camorro, which rises to a height of 907 meters.

It consists of limestone and marl of the Jurassic period, and besides having its geological importance, is also a place of refuge for several colonies of bats, one of the most important in Spain and possibly Europe

Inside the cave, at least three lakes are known to exist. And there are numerous galleries within it, where miles of stalactites can be seen, formed over decades. An ancient grave was recovered from the first lake, and pottery from the other two; both are part of the City Museum or the Archaeological Museum.

This cave was used to accommodate many people who lived in the present town of Cuevas de San Marcos. There is a Palaeolithic site situated on the summit of this mountain, leaving open the possibility of a past existence of a castle and fortresses, which was destroyed by the Moors

Since prehistoric times, this territory has been inhabited by various civilizations. There have been many people who settled in these lands by taking advantage of its geographical location: Prehistoric, Iberians, Romans, Muslims, Christians.

Important archaeological remains have been found of the different civilizations that have left evidence of their culture and rich local history. These include the menhir known as “The Stone Child”, the remains of Iberian pottery, axes, spear points, fossilized human remains and other items from the Bronze Age.

Man has left his footprint in several places on this land. In the Belda Medina archaeological site, listed as a site of first grade, was the medieval town of Belda, where one can still see structures of streets and houses, the cistern and an ancient tower. In the local archaeological museum there are exposed pieces from different sites in the locality.

Attractions

This village offers visitors one of the most striking landscapes of the province of Malaga, a set of sites alternating the scrub, pine, olive and almond trees and oaks, in parallel to the waters of Iznajar reservoir. The Genil River crosses the area, which shares its water with the Iznajar reservoir.

Attractions include the archaeological site of Medina Belda, Cave of Belda, Local Archaeological Museum, Luis Bridge ermine, Church of St. Mark the Evangelist, and the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Caramel.

The Church of St. Mark the Evangelist was built in the eighteenth century but its reconstruction was carried out in 1798 by a mason called John of Queen Antequera, which accounts for its neoclassical appearance.

The church has three naves separated by arches, which hold half barrel vaults with arches running through the nave to the high choir. The aisles are structured in the form of squares separated by transverse ribs.

In its interior are important works, such as a nineteenth-century painting of the Virgin del Carmen (patron saint) and the altarpiece in gilded wood. There is a sculpture of Jesus the Nazarene, the work of sculptor Simon Granada Jose Gabriel Martin, which dates from 1936. It should be stressed that the exterior brick tower and spire presents three pyramidal bodies of glazed tiles.

The church of Nuestra Senora del Carmen dates from the eighteenth century. Restored in the nineteenth century, it retains only the bell tower from its initial construction.

The main festivals are: the festival of San Marcos, in which the saint is carried in a carriage to the dam of Iznajar, a camping area; the fair in August, from the 11th to the 15th; and the Santa carnival and fiesta. Another festival honoring ancient godfathers is held on Thursdays.

Neither should the visitor miss the feast of Candlemas Day, on December 7, when the different streets of the town are lit with great bonfires. The party lasts until high hours of the morning. The streets are the famous Archidona (known as droppings), Malaga (known as Garrucho), the Upper Quarter, Pomegranate, and Skate Street.

Several days before the appointed day, children gather wood for the fires, bowlines are sawed, and sacks of oil prepared. The children would also, as pranks, move the stacks of firewood. This was to the point that the wood had to be hid far from the splendor, and guards placed.

Gastronomy

Typical dishes include:
Salmorejo, chopped with a variety of ingredients, among which one cannot forget tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers and purple zonahoria. Some also add oranges and chopped boiled potatoes. All are well seasoned with salt, vinegar and olive oil. Served with hard boiled egg and tuna, it is a summer meal (and winter, if you will) very typical of these lands.

Baked beans and eggs are the main ingredients of sobrehusa. Gazpachuelo is a soup whose main ingredients are bread, fish and eggs. Other dishes include porridge, whose main ingredient is flour, and tomatoes fried with polish sausage. A filling consists of ham sausage, meat, eggs, bread and parsley.

The club is also a very typical dish, but the cuisine is uniquely associated with Antequera. As served in this locality, it is a cold dish whose ingredients are tomatoes, peppers (both good for red color), garlic, bread crumbs, olive oil, vinegar and salt.

All are well pounded, and to the resulting mixture it is customary to add tuna, boiled egg and (if desired) olives. Marking a point of distinction with this club is the adding of a few seeds of still tender green beans.

Pastry:
The cuevacha cuisine is devoted primarily to the bakery. These include wine donuts, egg donuts, bland donuts, fig bread, gingerbread cottages, lies, borrachuelos, and Manolete, oil cakes, pies, and cane syrup.

Depending on the festivities that take place, some meals are prepared in different fashions. This is reflected at Christmastime by the subsequent preparation of the sausages, homemade sausages, black pudding and the salting of hams. There will also be baking of oil tortillas, bland donuts, donuts, bread, and farmhouse wine. The drink made for this holiday is the arrasoli.

At Easter the food dishes are outstanding, and include codfish cakes and fried cod. Items that are baked include brown rice, rice pudding, borrachuelos, dumplings and lies.

For the feast of San Marcos, one finds hornazos and egg donuts. For San Miguel, slack must, fig bread and quince meat.