By the time he arrives at this village the traveller will not only have noticed the magnificent scenery that he could not have helped but observe along the way but also the fact that it lies at a considerable altitude.

In fact, Cartajima is the highest locality in all the Ronda highlands, which is saying something since if there is one thing that the villages in this region lack it certainly is not elevation. The features that best characterize this municipality, situated in the Alto Genal region, derive from this simple geographical fact.
A rocky (karstic) zone known as Los Riscos de Cartajimo (Cliffs of Cartajimo) in the Oreganal mountain range north of the village is visually compelling. It is highly advisable to visit it with some local person who knows its hidden corners and most interesting caves. In the south, the country is wooded and appears to be covered with evergreen and cork oaks and chestnut trees. Due to the lack of documentation on the origin of the village we can’t go further back in its history than to the Muslim era, but there is a chronicle that records the testimony of a resident of the village to the effect that while some works were being undertaken at Las Pedrizas some burial sites were discovered with human remains and some coins that were apparently from the Phoenician-Hellenic age.

Nor is there any record of the Arabic period although it can be presumed without fear of contradiction that events in Cartajima must have been similar to those in nearby villages.
During the years of the Napoleonic invasion-and this is indeed documented-the locality could boast of a stinging setback to the French. The actions of the guerrilla Andrés García were significant; he perpetrated an attack on the governor of Ronda, who died as he was travelling next to El Tajo with his escort.
Fernando VII granted the village the status of “villa” (royal burgh) in 1814, and for a long period in the nineteenth century Cartajima experienced remarkable economic growth due mainly to exploitation of its iron mines, which have now been abandoned. During this era a small factory was set up mainly for manufacturing cannon, which propelled the village’s economy to the point that it became known as the “Little Cádiz”.

Outstandings Visits:
Except for the natural monument that is its scenery, the only monument in Cartajima is the Nuestra Señora del Rosario parish church. It was built in the early sixteenth century and modified on several occasions, the last in the mid-twentieth century. Although the church was first designed with three naves at this time only one of these remains, along with part of the Evangel Side and the baptismal trough. In its interior it preserves some figures from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. One of them is of the Virgen del Rosario (Virgin of the Rosary) and is located in the central niche.
Outside the village are found the ruins of the medieval castle, the Roman baths of Cañada de Harife and the necropolis, also Roman, at Cortijo del Ratón, as well as the medieval communities of Casapalma and Cartabón. These archaeological sites help to partially reconstruct the history of this village of which, as has been noted, there is no documentation of any kind.

 

How to Get There:
To get to Cartajima start from the Mediterranean Expressway (AP-7, N-340) and at San Pedro de Alcántara take the A-376 towards Ronda. A few kilometres before getting to Málaga take the MA-525, which passes through Cartajima.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 21.8 square kilometres
Population: approximately 250
What the natives are called: Cartajimeños
Monuments: the Nuestra Señora del Rosario church and archaeological sites (a medieval castle and Roman baths and necropolis)
Geographical Location: in the Ronda highlands (Alta Genal), 18 kilometres from Ronda and 140 from the provincial capital. The village is about 850 metres above sea level. The average rainfall in the area is about 1,300 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is about 14º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Calle Iglesia, 21 (29452). Telephone: 952 180751; Fax: 952 180 790