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Canillas de Albaida
| AREA |
33.20 Km² |
| ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL |
576 m |
| AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL |
670 l/m² |
| WHAT THE NATIVES ARE CALLED |
Canilleros |
| MONUMENTS |
The Nuestra Señora de la Expectación
church and the hermitages of Santa Ana and San Antón. |
| GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION |
In the La Axarquía region, 50 kilometres from
Málaga and only 2.5 kilometres from Cómpeta. |
| POPULATION CENSUS IN 1994 |
656 |
| AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE |
17 ºC |
| TOURIST INFORMATION |
Town
Hall, Plaza Generalísimo, 8 (29755). Telephone:
952 553 006; Fax: 952 553 100 |
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Canillas
de Albaida rises over a small hill next to the Llanada
river, before it merges with the Cájula
river to form the Sayalonga river. Its origins
lie in a 13th century Arabic farmstead belonging
to Vélez-Málaga
which received the name of Albaida (“white” in
Arabic), not for the white houses,
as we don’t know if they were that colour before,
but for the abundance of white flowers which
according to the chronicles, surrounded the area,
however the name of this village could not be
more appropriate.
Seen from a certain distance,
the white of its buildings stands out brilliantly against the knoll on which
the village sits.
On the north, the municipality extends
to the summits of the Sierra Almijara range, on the
border of the province of Granada, and southward,
to near Daimalos, part of the municipal territory
of Arenas. The hills of Secanillo and Cuevas rise
near the village as precursors of the mountain landscape.
With an altitude of about 800 metres, they point
the way to the lofty (more than 1,600 metres) cliffs
of Chapa, Albucaz and Carneros, which are surrounded
by ravines and seasonal watercourses to which a few
pine groves cling.
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As the terrain levels
out somewhat and the water torrents become streams
such as La Cueva, Turvilla
and Ciguilias the countryside becomes covered with
cottonwoods, poplars and oleanders. In places, along
the now-tranquil waterways, this vegetation creates
some exceptionally beautiful scenes. One such place
is La Fábrica, where the La Cueva and Turvilla
streams join in an area close to the village that
is much visited by the people of the region who avail
themselves of the camping facilities there.
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| The southern side of this territory is for the most part more typical of the
landscape of La Axarquía. Vineyards and almond and olive trees begin to
show up on the hills, and in the valleys near the village, where water is abundant,
some irrigated cropland appears.
The locality very probably originated in the thirteenth century when it was a
farm district belonging to Vélez Málaga. According to chronicles,
the name (Albaida, which means white) apparently has more to do with the colour
of the flowers that adorned the setting in that era than with the houses, although
nowadays it is associated with the whitewash of its dwellings.
After the conquest of Vélez Málaga by the Catholic Monarchs in
1487 Canillas de Albaida capitulated to the Christian troops but that did not
keep it from joining the sixteenth century Moorish rebellion, which brought upon
it the same fate that befell the other surrounding villages after defeat at the
battle of Peñón de Frigiliana, a thoroughly documented historical
event.
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| As well as the excellent wines - muscatel, dry, medium dry and sweet
- the gastronomy of Canillas de Albaida has local
dishes such as fennel broth, cornflour breadcrumbs,
fried kid, porridge, and cold summer soups.
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How to Get
There
Turn off the Mediterranean Expressway
at Algarrobo-Costa onto the A-6203. After
passing through Albarrogo and Sayalonga,
you will come to a fork in the road;
one way leads to Árchez and the
other to Cómpeta. It does not
matter which you take as both towns are
just a few kilometres from Canillas de
Albaida.
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