All tourism slogans and campaigns, some more than others, are inspired by a reality that is more or less verifiable, and the traveller determines the veracity of the slogan during his visit to the area in question.

In the case of Cómpeta, no one can doubt that the nickname “Cornisa del Mediterráneo” (“Cornice of the Mediterranean”) fits this locality like a glove.
Indeed, the white of the town’s buildings juts out against a landscape that is overlooked by the great heights of the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges and stretches out in quest of the Mediterranean over a hilly country covered with the grapevines that yield its famous wine. One of the most representative images that the visitor will retain of La Axarquía will certainly be that provided by this municipality.
This is a municipality that, like so many others of the province of Málaga, has no documented history until the fifteenth century, but considering the characteristics of the territory-abundant water, mountain refuges, pleasant temperatures and its status as a link between the provinces of Granada and Málaga-it seems probable that it contained human settlements in prehistoric times. At this time, though, there are no archaeological finds to support this hypothesis.

 

 

Cómpeta appears by name in written records for the first time in 1487, when the corregidor (magistrate) of Vélez, which by then was in the hands of the Christians, urged the population to submit to the new owners. This indicates that until that date the place must have been no more than a farming community.
The Moriscos (Moors) of Cómpeta, like most of those in La Axarquía, joined those that had already risen up and established strongholds in Peñón de Frigiliana –a place that was linked in the sixteenth century and ever afterwards to the history of La Axarquía by the part it was to play- until the Christian troops overcame the Moorish resistance on 12 June 1569. Although there were numerous casualties among the defenders, some escaped and continued to harass the Christians wherever they least expected it, but not for very long.

The town was practically abandoned and was repopulated by long-time Christians from Puente Genil, Estepa, Baena, Seville and other localities that had already been retaken from the Muslims. The document from the first marriage contracted between established Christians in the town is preserved in the parish church. The year was 1573.

Outstandings Visits:
A tour of the centre of the town is indispensable. Here the traditional architecture proudly shows off one of its most charming aspects, which is the higgledy-piggledy way the houses are built. Some of them still have “semisótanos” (half-basements) where tools and other items are stored. While it is not advisable in any community of this type to take a car into the centre of town, in Cómpeta this is simply impossible because, in many of its streets, the different levels are connected by steps.
The town’s most notable building is the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church, which was built in the sixteenth century and later restored. It consists of three naves separated by octagonal pillars. In its interior is the outstanding mural of the Asunción de la Virgen (Assumption of the Virgin), a 1972 work by the Vélez artist Francisco Hernández. The church’s exterior had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1884, but the most remarkable thing about this masonry structure is its four-level neo-Mudéjar tower (1935), whose uppermost level is in the form of a small chapel covered by a dome.
The San Antón and San Sebastián hermitages, both from the eighteenth century, are faithful examples of the religious and traditional construction styles of their time. The simplicity of their outlines, notwithstanding the baroque style that it followed, and the lack of pretentiousness, emphasizes the religious character of the place, to the detriment of decorative exuberance.

How to Get There:
Of the three access routes to Cómpeta (all starting from the Mediterranean Highway), perhaps the most interesting is the one that begins on the A-6204 at the Torrox exit. Along this road the visitor has the opportunity to pass through Trayamar, an archaeological site of Paleo-Punic tombs from the seventh century B. C. that are considered the most important of their type in the Mediterranean area. You can also get to Cómpeta via the A-6203 from Algarrobo, passing through Sayalonga. Another option is to take the MA-117 at Vélez-Málaga and arrive at Cómpeta after passing through Arenas, Daimalos and Corumbela.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 54.7 square kilometres
Population: about 4,000
What the natives are called: Competeños
Monuments: Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church, hermitages of San Antón and San Sebastián
Geographical Location: in the north-eastern La Axarquía region, on the slopes of the Sierra de Almijara. It is 28 kilometres from Vélez Málaga and 52 from the provincial capital. The urban zone sits at 640 meters above sea level. The area records an average annual rainfall of 630 litres per square metre, and the average temperature is 17.5º C
Tourist Information: Tourism Office, Constitución Avenue (29754). Telephone: 952 553 685