In this area of Málaga the topography seems to forget the wrinkles and torturous twists and turns that line the face of almost the entire province and tends to level out, with the peak of La Cruz, at 768 metres above sea level, standing out from the landscape as a reminder of greater heights not far away.

Except for this feature, the terrain, which is crossed by several watercourses (the Las Pozas and Burriana streams and the copious River Genil), seems to seek the horizontal amid gentle hills where olive groves reign, while the Genil in its passage through the village provides space for a few orchards and market gardens.
There is confirmation that the first human settlements in this territory occurred in the Paleolithic period, that is to say some 40,000 years ago. That, at least, is what is indicated by tools found in the Cueva de la Belda (La Belda cave) that point to a primitive population of hunters. There is also reliable evidence of a Copper Age presence, such as a necropolis of artificial caves that is considered among the most important in Spain. Of course, the Romans also left signs of their passage through these lands: several villas and traces of a road that is listed on the Antonine Itinerary.

A system of irrigation ditches that to a certain extent is still in use at Huerta del Marqués is clear proof of the occupation of this municipality by the Muslims, who also left some wells along the Genil. After the Christian conquest, King Juan II ceded the village to Antequera as payment to its castle commandant, Pedro de Narváez, for the assistance he had given in the conquest of the Belda fortress.

Outstandings Visits:
The San Juan Bautista church in the centre of the village will attract the visitor’s attention at his first glance towards the urban quarter. The present church was built in the first half of the eighteenth century over a church of smaller dimensions. Its three naves are separated by semicircular arches that rest on thick pillars. It is unusual in that the tabernacle chapel is found to the left whereas ordinarily its place is behind the main altar. This altar was built in 1706 and the red marble baptismal font in 1606.
Two street niches testify to the village’s devotion to several images, such as the Virgen del Carmen, on Calle Victoria and Jesús Nazareno on Calle Archidona.
Calle Real and Plaza de la Reja are the sites of this locality’s most noteworthy secular buildings, such as the Casa de los Cristales (Los Cristales house) and the Casa de Felipe Quintana (house of Felipe Quintana), to which might be added the façade of the former Juan González inn, a meeting place for the most famous bandits of the nineteenth century. Among its regular guests were Chato de Benamejí, Antonio Vargas Heredia, Luis Artacho, Salvador González and the Calderas. During that time, the village was known by the nickname of Cuevas de los Ladrones (Caves of the Thieves). .

The hamlets of El Cedrón and La Moheda, founded by Jews and Muslims, still preserve a large share of their medieval charm. The former commands a wide view taking in parts of the provinces of Seville, Córdoba, Málaga and Granada. No one must leave La Moheda without drinking water from its fountain.

How to Get There:
Take the A-45 (N-331) from Málaga towards Antequera. In the vicinity of that city, you must connect with the A-92 only to immediately return to the N-331 on the stretch that is no longer an expressway and go in the direction of Lucena. Right at the border between the provinces of Málaga and Córdoba turn onto the A-6212, which leads straight to Cuevas Bajas.

 

 

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 16.2 square kilometres
Population: about 1,600
What the natives are called: Cueveños
Monuments: the San Juan Bautista parish church, niches, façades on Calle Real, and the Cedrón and La Moheda hamlets, which have medieval street plans
Geographical Location: in the northern part of the Antequera region, where the province of Málaga borders that of Córdoba. The village sits at 323 metres above sea level in the so-called Subbetic district of Málaga and is 72 kilometres from the provincial capital. The average annual rainfall is 700 litres per square metre and the average temperature is about 16º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Calle La Venta, 114. Telephone: 952 727 501/502; Fax: 952 729 679