The municipality of Tolox belongs to the Guadalhorce valley region for administrative purposes but it is also geographically linked to the Ronda highlands, especially to the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park. This area bestows upon this municipality some of the most beautiful scenery, between Puerto de los Pilones and the La Torrecilla peak (1,919 metres), to be found in the entire province of Málaga. When it is covered with snow, as it is for only a few weeks per year, the setting increases in beauty and is simply spectacular.

A little farther north, at Cañada de las Carnicerías and on the River Los Horjacos, the mountain range exhibits some imposing cliffs, but despite their steepness, small pine groves seem to defy the laws of gravity by growing on them. The terrain then begins to smooth out and olive trees and grain fields begin to appear. These make way, down on the banks of the River Grande, for numerous fruit orchards and vegetable gardens.
The first human settlement in this area dates back to the Neolithic period, judging from the remains (three decorated ceramic vases) that have been in the Cueva de la Tinaja (La Tinaja cave) near Peñón de los Horcajos, some five kilometres from the modern village. As for remains from the Roman era, a tombstone from the grave of a child has been found and in the early twentieth century, several inscriptions were found embedded in the walls of the church.

 

The first accounts of Tolox from the Islamic period refer to the occupation of its ancient castle by the Muladí chieftain Omar Ben Hafsun in the year 833. Upon his death the fortress was inherited by one of his sons, Soleiman, who in 921 was defeated by Abderramán III, whose troops destroyed the castle. When the village surrendered to the Christian troops in 1485, the fortress was rebuilt but in 1498 it was again levelled.
This locality, along with Monda, was granted as a feudal holding to the Marquise of Villena and Duke of Escalona in 1509. The repressive work of the Inquisition was noted in Tolox, and in 1560 it publicly repressed the local mayor because the villagers were singing and dancing in the Arabic manner during some family celebrations. After the Morisco uprising and their expulsion, the municipal territory was practically unpopulated until Old Christians arrived from Castile and Galicia in the time of Felipe II.

Outstandings Visits:
The visitor will realise the moment he arrives in the village that he is entering a locality with a strong Moorish atmosphere, with narrow and irregular streets and houses with perennially white façades against which brilliantly coloured flowers stand out. No one should fail to tour the Rinconada del Castillo neighbourhood, where the Arabic touch is accentuated to the point of becoming perfectly recognisable.
The Murallas del Castillo (Castle Walls) of Tolox, whose construction is attributed to the Phoenicians, are the most ancient display of architecture in this locality. The Romans used the castle during their stay in the area, and in the year 883 it was occupied by the rebel Omar Ben Hafsun who rebuilt it and made it into one of his most secure defences in the region. It had practically disappeared by the end of the fifteenth century; only one section of walls and a passageway are preserved from the ancient fortress. The picturesque neighbourhood of Rinconada del Castillo grew up around the space it had occupied.

The iglesia de San Miguel (San Miguel church) was completed in the early sixteenth century, and it was in this church that the Christians took refuge during the Morisco uprising of 1568. After it had been set afire it was rebuilt in 1577 by the master builder of the Málaga Cathedral, Diego de Vergara. He ordered the levelling of the walls of the main altar, which had been greatly damaged by the fire. In 1632 the church again had to be restored. It consists of three naves separated by semicircular arches that rest on quadrangular pillars.
The roof of the main altar chapel, the choir room and the side chapels, with hemispherical vaults, are from the seventeenth century. In the interior are three paintings from the eighteenth century depicting the Betrothal of the Virgin, the Epiphany and the Worship by the Shepherds, works attributed to Diego de la Cerda. The square-based tower is at the front of the Evangel Side nave and seems to have been built over the minaret of the former mosque.
The Museo de Artes Populares (Museum of Popular Art) at Calle Encina 54 (Casa de la Cultura, or House of Culture) is a museum whose theme is nineteenth century life. There are three large rooms on display that recreate the life of a family: the kitchen, with old utensils; the bedroom, with a wooden bed, an iron cradle, a jewellery box and even a missal from 1864, and a room devoted to farm gear and to some of the parts from the last olive oil mill that was in operation in Tolox. We also have a display of photographs from the fifties.

 

The ermita de San Roque (hermitage of San Roque, patron saint of the village) is three kilometres from the village. It is a modern structure, from the 1980’s, and architecturally very simple, but the site affords a splendid view of the area.
The Balneario de Fuente Amargosa (Fuente Amargosa spa, Telephone: 952487 091) makes use of a spring with curative waters that are especially recommended for asthma and bronchitis. Its water was declared to be for public use in 1871 and its present hotel has a capacity of 88 people. Lagartijo and Miguel Primo de Rivera have passed through here, among other well-known persons.
The Casa de la Inquisición (House of the Inquisition) and the Casa del Hidalgo Fernández de Villamor (Hidalgo Fernández de Villamor house) are of architectural interest. The former is from the sixteenth or early seventeenth century and displays a brick façade framed by pilasters, and the latter is from the sixteenth century and has a whitewashed façade notable for its artistic grillwork.

How to Get There:
Take the A-357 to Cártama from Málaga. About two kilometres past that village you must turn onto the A-355 in the direction of Coín and continue by way of the A-366 in the direction of Alozaina. Four kilometres short of Alozaina you will see the signs for the road that leads to Tolox.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 95 square kilometres
Population: about 2,300
What the natives are called: Toloxeños
Monuments: the Murallas del Castillo (walls of the Castle), San Miguel church, Casa Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares (Popular Arts and Traditions House Museum), San Roque hermitage, Fuente Amargosa spa, Casa de la Inquisición (Inquisition House), Hidalgo Fernández de Villamor house, and the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park
Geographical Location: in the Guadalhorce valley region. The village is 315 metres above sea level, and is 52 kilometres from Ronda and 57 from the city of Málaga. The average precipitation in the area is 750 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is 17º C.
Tourist Information: Casa de la Cultura, Calle Encina 54 (29109). Telephone: 952 487 333; Fax: 952 487 108