Montecorto, Malaga Province, Andalucia, Spain.

Where is Montecorto

Montecorto, which means low mountain, is situated 20km west from Ronda and is the most westerly village in the Malaga Province. Montecorto falls on the northern boundary of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.

Montecorto our Home

Claire and I moved to Montecorto in 2004, from Peterborough in the United Kingdom. We wanted to escape the 'rat race' and follow our dream of setting up a cycling holiday business and so the Andalucian Cycling Experience was launched. From this beautiful white village in the heart of Andalucia we now offer a full range of cycling holidays for riders of all ages and all abilities.

Modern Montecorto

Montecorto is a sleepy white village with an ageing population and 650 inhabitants, which swells to about 1200 during Ferias and Festivals. The main festivals are the Romeria (First weekend in May), San Juan (21st June), The Fiesta of the Virgen del Carmen (16th-19th July) and the Feria de Emigrantes (15th August).

The main source of work is in agriculture, construction and tourism. Many of the villagers have to travel to Ronda, the Costa del Sol or further afield in their search for work. This is still a very traditional village where the daily siesta, between 2pm and 5pm is still sacred. It is actually possible to hear a pin drop between these times. With an ageing population you can often see groups of old men sat playing cards or dominos outside one of the bars enjoying a 'Manzanilla' (white sherry) and a chat.

History of Montecorto

The history of Montecorto dates back to Neolithic periods when small agricultural communities settled there due to the fertility of the soil and the abundance of water and flint. Remains of many tools, axes and knives have been found in and around Montecorto from the Roman and Arabic periods. Due to the quantity of Flint in Montecorto and the surrounding area, a workshop was created for the fabrication of various tools. The workers of Montecorto became very skilled at making tools and stone carvings. Montecorto was established as an exchange centre for sculptors. There are Megalithic tombs, which are stone chambers, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal stone (table) that are in the area close to Montecorto and El Gastor. These date back to the Neolithic period (4000 to 3000 BC). Also known as “Dolmens”, these were usually covered in smaller stones and earth to create a chamber, examples to be found are The Necropolis of Moral, The Dolmen of Chopo (near the Puerto de Montejaque) and the Dolmens of the Angostura (near El Gastor). Nowadays the earth and smaller stones are washed away, leaving just the stone skeleton. Towards the mid thirteenth century Montecorto formed part of the western border of the Nasrid Kingdom or Granada. The defensive system of the Nazari border consisted of an extensive network of towers and watchtowers that were visually linked along the entire border of the last Muslim Kingdom in the Peninsula. Many remnants of this defensive system can be found in Montecorto, such as the Castillo del Moral and the Rock of Audit.

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