Sierra de Yeguas occupies a sizable area in the northern part of the region of Antequera on the border between the provinces of Málaga and Seville. Here the terrain seems to have set aside thoughts of great heights and deep gorges and displays a gentle surface, as befits a territory that abuts the countryside of Seville. Right on the border of the two provinces, however, the municipality does have higher elevations in the Los Caballos mountains. Despite not being of any great altitude (just 748 metres), they are one of the area’s points of reference.

Llanos de Navahermosa, adjoining the Los Caballos mountain range, is another of the more remarkable places in this municipality. This is a vast agricultural plain located on an ancient flood zone, with such unique characteristics that it is covered by the province of Málaga’s Plan for Protection of the Physical Environment. Sierra de Yeguas’ plant cover is composed mainly of olive groves but in some areas and on a lesser scale there are also almond trees and vineyards. The mountains have been replanted with pines and have low brush and a few live oaks, remnants of the live oak forests that years ago completely covered this territory.
The first human settlements in this municipality date from the Neolithic Period, as is show by some polished rock artefacts that have been found at various sites in the area. The Roman archaeological sites are larger and better preserved, and in them have been found ceramics, columns and a few coins, as well as ruins of villas and of some bathhouses.

After the Roman period, there is no other record until the sixteenth century to serve as a base for reconstructing the history of this municipality; not even the Arabs during their centuries-long stay left evidence of their presence in these lands. It is believed that Crown Prince Don Fernando spent a night on the banks of the River Yeguas during the conquest of Antequera. There is no documentary record of this rather insignificant event, either, although it is very probably true.
It is documented, however, that in 1549, the village was under the jurisdiction of Estepa, and in fact, the coats of arms of the Marquises of Estepa are displayed on the parish church. In the sphere of religion, due to its connections to the Marquisate of Estepa the village belonged to the “Verenullius” vicariate, meaning that it came under the direct control of Rome. For civil purposes, the village was part of the province of Seville until the nineteenth century.

 

Outstandings Visits:
Due to the fact that it sits on a plain, this village has no need for those extreme adaptations seen in so many places in Málaga. Thus Sierra de Yeguas, with very little uneven land, presents the visitor with an urban district that is easy to move about in, with clean and well-planned streets remarkable for the white façades of their buildings, most of which are of traditional architecture with profuse grillwork in windows and gates.
The Inmaculada Concepción parish church is the most remarkable structure. It has a stone façade crowned by an open pediment. The choir room and the atrium, along with what remains of a chapel built in the eighteenth century, are its most noteworthy structural features. On the exterior, the attention is drawn to the two-level tower, whose belfry is crowned by a pointed pyramidal steeple covered with glazed tiles.
The municipality’s Roman past has come to light in several archaeological sites close to the village. Ruins of villas have been found at the Peñuela and La Herriza farmsteads, while at Haza de Estepa parts of some ancient bathhouses have been preserved.

 

How to Get There:
You must start from the city of Málaga to get to Sierra de Yeguas, and can choose between two routes. One option is the A-45 (N-331) expressway in the direction of Antequera. On the outskirts of that city, and without your having to enter it, this expressway connects with the A-92. After eight kilometres on this latter expressway, you will see the turning for Campillos via the A-384, and from that village you will arrive at Sierra de Yeguas by way of the A-365.
The other option, also starting from the city of Málaga, is to take the A-357 to Campillos, and just as in the first case once you get there take the A-365 to Sierra de Yeguas.

 

 

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 84 square kilometres
Population: about 3,300
What the natives are called: Serranos
Monuments: the Inmaculada Concepción church, Roman villas and bathhouses.
Geographical Location: in the north-western part of the Antequera region, bordering on the province of Seville. The village is 550 metres above sea level and 95 kilometres from the provincial capital. The municipality receives an average precipitation of 550 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is about 15º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza de Andalucía, 1 (29328). Telephone: 952 746 002; Fax: 952 746 176