The municipality of Júzcar is a long and narrow strip of territory that adjoins the municipality of Ronda to the north, and in the south descends to Estepona and Benahavís. Its elongated shape allows for an enormous variety of scenery formed by very high peaks (Benamahoma, El Castillejo, Jardón and Jarastepar, the last of these being the highest in the area at 1,425 metres), areas with quintessentially Mediterranean vegetation, and last of all, dense and unusually lush pine forests.

Although the historical origin of this village is very uncertain it is clear it was founded before the time of the Arabs, and some link its origin to the mining activity of the Roman era. Be that as it may, the locality fell into the hands of the Christian troops in 1485. From that date, forward the Moors were subjected to very strict rules and, as is well known, ultimately rebelled in 1570, resulting in their expulsion in 1609.
A very unusual personality, “El Tajarillo” entered the scene in that era. A sort of forerunner of the nineteenth century bandit, he refused to be driven out. He fled to the highlands and perpetrated incessant acts of banditry as long as he could. All that remains of him is his legend and a place called Paso de Tarajillo (Tarajillo’s Pass), near a hut where it is said he died in an accident.

 

Due to its location in the Upper Genal area and its difficult access from the exterior it doesn’t seem very logical that Júzcar would have been industrialised before many other Spanish cities, but such was the case. In 1726, construction began on the first sheet tin factory in Spain, which began operations in 1731 with no fewer than 200 workers on the payroll. The factory was inaugurated with the pompous name of “La nunca vista en España Real Fábrica de Hojalata y sus adherentes, reinando los siempre invictos monarcas y Católicos Reyes don Felipe V y doña Isabel de Farnesio” (The Never-Before-Seen in Spain Royal Factory For the Manufacture of Tin Sheeting and its By-Products, in the Reign of the Unvanquished Catholic Monarchs Don Felipe V and Doña Isabel de Farnesio.)
It is documented that since, at that time, the process for manufacturing tin sheeting was not known in Spain some 30 specialists from Germany, under the direction of the Swiss engineers Pedro Mentón and Emérito Dupasquier, came to the village. It is said-and this should be considered anecdotal- that these engineers had to be smuggled out of their own country in barrels since in order to prevent competition they were prohibited from going abroad. Apparently, the factory ceased operations during the War of Independence, and the General Archives of Simancas preserves part of the first piece of tin sheeting produced.

 

 

The fact that in 1752 there were eight mill units in operation-and continued operating until 1841-along with two tanneries attests to the prosperity of Júzcar in the eighteenth century. It is therefore not surprising that in this area there are the ruins of six other villages, of whose abandonment there are no reliable records. It is known, however, that Faraján was administratively subordinate to Júzcar until 1873.

Outstandings Visits:
Júzcar’s urban plan follows the usual pattern of the highland villages except that here the slopes are so diabolically steep that the traditional architecture, which is remarkable for its irregular chimneys and roofs, has had to avail itself of a thousand and one artifices in its efforts to tame such extraordinary terrain, conferring an appearance that goes beyond the merely picturesque.
The village’s most notable building is the Santa Catalina church. It was built in the sixteenth century but later modified. It has a single nave and a flat roof that shows part of an ancient Mudéjar roof frame. The tower, called the “Torrichela”, seems to have been one of the most original monuments in the Genal valley, but it was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1650.

Only some ruins remain of the once famous tin factory, including a sober façade with pilasters and cornices that reflects the era of its construction (eighteenth century). In the rear, there is an arch that must have been the entrance to a small chapel. The factory’s present external appearance is more that of a convent structure than an operative factory and its overgrown interior imparts an air of decadent nineteenth century romanticism.

 

How to Get There:
Whether you leave from the Costa del Sol or from Ronda you must take the A-376 road. In the former case, get onto this road from the AP-7 or N-340 expressway at San Pedro de Alcántara. About ten kilometres before getting to Ronda turn to the left onto the MA-525, and you will arrive at Júzcar after passing through Cartajima. If you leave from Ronda, take the aforementioned A-376 and likewise the MA-525, which passes through Cartajima and Júzcar.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 34 square kilometres
Population: a little over 200
What the natives are called: Juzcareños
Monuments: the Santa Catalina church and the ruins of the Fábrica de Hojalata (tin factory)
Geographical Location: in the upper Genal region of the Ronda highlands. The village sits at more than 620 metres above sea level and is 22 kilometres from Ronda and 113 from the provincial capital. The area records an average annual rainfall of more than 1,100 litres per square metre and the average temperature is about 14º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Calle José Antonio, 1 (29462). Telephone: 952 183 500; Fax: 952 183 644