The municipality of Montejaque stretches between the valley of the River Guadiaro and the Líbar mountain range, and part of its territory is within the Grazalema Natural Park. Because of its location on the border between these two areas, the municipality is blessed with an extremely interesting wealth of scenery, which is enhanced by a rugged terrain notable for the peaks of Peñón de Mures (865 metros), Cerro Tavizna (899 metros) and El Hacho (1,065 metros).

It is surprising to learn that only two kilometres from the village, which sits amid the rock formations of the Montalate and Juan Diego mountain ranges, the country unexpectedly opens up and broad plains with grazing cattle appear. This is a zone that contrasts radically with all others in the municipality, which is otherwise characterised by extremely uneven terrain.
The village is sheltered by imposing rock formations and is composed of two well-differentiated areas: the lower part, with straight streets, and the upper, which is of Arabic origin and thus has steep and winding streets. The name if the place is also Arabic and is usually translated as “Lost Mountain”. There is no record of settlements before the arrival of the Arabs, who apparently built a castle that dominated part of the Highlands. Beginning with the Christian conquest and the surrender of Montejaque and Benaoján to the Count of Benavente, both villages ceased to be considered sub-districts of Ronda.

 

During the Moorish uprising circumstances in Montejaque were quite unusual in that its mayor, the Morisco Mamad Idriz, was the victim of more than one attack for openly collaborating with the Christians. This course of action did not turn out badly for him since, with the Moorish population driven out, he was compensated with lands and even a lifetime pension.
Chronicles state that in the early nineteenth century, during the War of Independence, a famous guerrilla named José de Aguilar confronted the Napoleonic troops on 20 October 1810 at the River Gaduares bridge. José Aguilar commanded a troop of some 250 men from several more or less nearby villages (Benaoján, Atajate, Montejaque, Cortes and Jimera de Líbar) that defeated 600 French soldiers and 90 cavalrymen.

 

 

Outstandings Visits:
Montejaque’s greatest tourist attraction is obviously its natural setting, since the only important monument as such is the Santiago el Mayor parish church located between the village’s upper and lower parts. Its construction dates from the sixteenth century (late Gothic), but the church as it appears today is the result of the reconstruction carried out in 1773. It consists of three irregular naves and its most interesting feature is the pictorial decoration of the Baroque chapel in the Evangel Side nave.
Since more than likely the traveller will also use this trip to visit Benaoján it should be remembered that in that municipality, very close to Montejaque (only 2 kilometres), is the Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta cave), which has been designated a National Cave Art Monument due to the quality of its paintings.
The Hundidero-Cueva del Gato complex, where the River Guadares is literally swallowed up by this geological system only to reappear 4 kilometres away at the Cueva del Gato (El Gato cave), is of interest to speleologists. Years ago there was an effort to build a dam in this area to take advantage of the abundant rainfall but the company failed because the limestone that was to serve as a natural container created numerous sinkholes through which the water leaked out. The construction is preserved as a sort of monument to lack of technical foresight. Nevertheless, during heavy rains, the reservoir fills with water and this becomes an exceptionally scenic spot.

 

How to Get There:
Leave Ronda via the A-376, and after travelling 4.5 kilometres take the MA-555 to Benaoján, and from there take the MA-506 to Montejaque. Another option is to leave Ronda by the A-376 and continue on that road about 12 kilometres before taking the MA-505 turning, which leads straight to Montejaque without passing through Benaoján.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 46.6 square kilometres
Population: approximately 1,000
What the natives are called: Montejaqueños
Monuments: the Santiago el Mayor parish church, Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta cave, in Benaoján), Hundidero-Cueva del Gato (caves)
Geographical Location: in the western part of the Ronda highlands, the region to which it belongs. It is 140 kilometres from the city of Málaga, 21 from Ronda and only 2 from Benaoján. The village is almost 700 metres above sea level. The area records an average rainfall of more than 1,600 litres per square metre and the annual average temperature is 16º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 4 (29630). Telephone: 952 167 196; Fax: 952 167 351