The Sierra de Líbar range imposes its rugged and broken terrain on the municipal territory of Benaoján, with outstanding features being the peaks of La Ventana and El Palo (both about 1.300 metres high), the River Guadiaro, which winds among the mountains through some places of extraordinary environmental interest, and the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Grazalema (Sierra Grazalema Nature Park), a region where nature has held back none of her gifts.

The treeless limestone of the summits, contrasts with the greenery of the evergreen oak forest that covers the mountain range to halfway up its slopes. In such surroundings are found landscapes that are not only strikingly beautiful but are also the sites of the first dwellings of primitive man, as in the cases of the La Cueva de la Pileta and El Gato caves.
It is clear, then, that the sign of man in this region dates back some 20,000 years and that civilisations nearer to us in time also appeared in these lands, including Phoenicians, Romans, and Visigoths. The documented history of Benaoján, however, begins with the arrival of the Arabs, as is the case with so many other villages in Málaga.

 

Some historians, basing their judgment on the prefix “ben” which means “son of”, believe the name of the village, Ben-Oján, means “sons of Oján”. Others believe the meaning is “house of the baker”, deriving from the Arab name Ibn Uyan. The first theory, however, seems more probable than the second does. The Torre del Moro (Tower of the Moor) in front of the railway station is the only Arabic legacy that is preserved in the village. Its Christians conquered the castle in 1485 after the villagers surrendered, and it was later destroyed, as it was impossible to maintain a garrison in it.
After embracing the new faith and being converted into newly minted Christians or “Moriscos”, the residents of Benaoján took part in the sixteenth century rebellion and as a result once the uprising had been squashed they were driven off their lands. From that time forward the march of history in this village parallels that of many others in the region, where the intricate terrain was taken advantage of by nineteenth century bandits, and later by the “maquis” (resistance).

 

Outstandings Visits:
The seventeenth century Nuestra Señora del Rosario church stands out in the simple urban district, where traditional architecture predominates and unabashedly shows its Moorish heritage. Improvements were made to the church in the eighteenth century and again in the nineteenth. The Gothic vault over the presbytery is the only thing that remains from the original construction. The façade has a semicircular arch with a pediment next to the tower, which has two levels and an upper octagonal one that houses the bells.The Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta Cave) is four kilometres from the urban centre and 700 metres above sea level. This enormous cavity was discovered in 1905 by a local farm labourer named José Bullón Lobato, who let the Englishman Verner in on the discovery. In 1924 it was declared a Monumento Nacional de Arte Rupestre (National Cave Art Monument). Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age remains have been found in its interior, and some rooms have significant cave paintings.

The most ancient paintings are sketches done with the hands and belong to the Auriñaciense period (some 20,000 years ago), but the ones of the greatest artistic value are from the Solutrense period. These are found in the room called the Santuario (Sanctuary), where the picture of a pregnant mare attracts the most attention, and in the Pez (Fish) room.
Another of the great attractions of Benaoján is located near the village railway station: the Cueva del Gato (El Gato cave). It is of extraordinary geological interest and is linked to the Cueva del Humilladero (El Humilladero cave) by four kilometres of galleries through which the River Gaduares flows. The latter cave is another paradise for geologists.

How to Get There:
Benaoján is reached from the town of Ronda by the A-376 road. A few kilometres from the city is the MA-556 turning, which passes by the railway station and leads to the village. You can also turn off the A-376 onto the MA-505, which leads to Montejaque and immediately afterwards to Benaoján.

 

 

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 31.9 square kilometres
Population: approximately 1,600
What the natives are called: Benaojanos
Monuments: the Nuestra Señora del Rosario church, Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta Cave), Cueva del Gato (El Gato Cave)
Geographical Location: in the Sierra de Líbar range (a region of the Ronda highlands), 17 kilometres from Ronda and 136 from the capital of the province. The village centre is 565 metres above sea level. Average annual rainfall is 1,260 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is slightly more than 14.3º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza de San Marcos, 1 (29370). Telephone: 952 167 103; Fax: 952 167 337