Antequera: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 90 - 140 Hotel-Convento La Magdalena Golf & Spa
 Nestled in typical, Andalusian countryside and with fantastic views – this grand, Arabic-style hotel is the perfect place to get away from it all an… MoreEUR 38 - 140 Los Dólmenes
 This brand new hotel is located in Antequera, Malaga. It has spectacular views of the beautiful Andalusian landscape.
Hotel Los Dólmenes is situated… MoreEUR 70 - 242 Parador de Antequera
 This strikingly modern hotel overlooks the gorgeous landscapes of Andalusia. Enjoy the views of the rocks formations and sunsets from the outdoor pool… MoreEUR 35 - 120 Hotel Lozano
 Set just outside the ancient town of Antequera, this elegant-yet-modern hotel provides a convenient base to explore the historic cities and coastline … MoreEUR 25 - 75 Hotel Castilla
 The hotel and restaurant, with its welcoming and pleasant atmosphere, is situated in the attractive whitewashed town of Antequera, located in the hear… MoreEUR 40 - 103 Coso Viejo
 Coso Viejo is a typical Antequeran house from the 18th century, in the historic centre of Antequera. It offers air-conditioned rooms with satellite TV… MoreEUR 69 - 151 Finca Eslava
 Finca Eslava is a converted 18th-century manor house located just outside Antequera. It offers a free spa, fitness centre and a large garden with a po… MoreEUR 20 - 65 Hostal Colon Antequera
 Hostal Colon Antequera is in the historical centre of Antequera, 200 metres from San Sebastian Church. It offers air-conditioned rooms with satellite … MoreEUR 50 - 210 Antequera Golf
 This 4-star hotel is located in the historical town of Antequera and offers guests well-appointed rooms, a spa and an 18-hole golf course.
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Antequera: Guide
For the municipality in the Philippines, see Antequera, Bohol.
Antequera (coordinates: ) is a city and Córdoba, and Seville. It is noted for two large Bronze Age dolmens.
Geographical and economic
Antequera lies 47 m above mean sea level. It overlooks the fertile valley bounded to the south by the Sierra de los Torcales, and to the north by the river Guadalhorce. It occupies a commanding position, while the remains of its walls, and of a fine Moorish castle on a rock that overhangs the town, show how admirably its natural defences were supplemented by art. At 817 square kilometre|km², the municipality is the largest, in terms of area, in the province of Málaga and one of the largest in Spain. The population is 41,197 (2002 census).
The saltwater lagoon Fuente de Piedra, which is one of the few nesting places of the Greater Flamingo in Europe, and the limestone rock formation of the El Torcal|Torcal, a nature reserve and popular spot for climbers, are nearby. Across the Guadalhorce is the remarkable "Lovers' Rock" (la Peña de los Enamorados), named after the legend of a young Christian man and his Moorish lover who threw themselves from the rock together while being chased by Moorish soldiers; this romantic legend was adapted by Robert Southey in his Laila and Manuel. In the eastern suburbs there is one of the largest burial mounds in Spain, dating from the Bronze Age, and with subterranean chambers excavated to a depth of 65 feet.
Historically, the region's economy was based on the production and processing of agricultural products (olives, cereal|grain, and wool), as well as furniture manufacturing. Today, tourism is the main industry, and there are an increasing number of international visitors. The city's museums have about 80% of all the art treasures in the province of Málaga, which makes it one of the cultural centers of Andalusia.
Significant buildings include many fine churches, the Philip II, and partly constructed of inscribed Roman masonry.
History and culture
Bronze Age and early history
On the northern outskirts of the city there are two 2nd millennium (about 19th century BC|1800 BCE), is outside the city. A large number of smaller stones were used in its construction.
From the 7th century BCE, the region was settled by the Iberians, whose cultural and economic contacts with the Phoenicians and Ancient Greece|Greeks are demonstrated by many archaeological discoveries. In the middle of the 1st millennium BCE, the Iberians mingled with wandering Celts (see Celtiberians) and Turdetans of southern Spain (Tartessos).
Roman era and later invasions
In the last third of the 1st millennium BCE, the Iberian peninsula became part of the Roman Empire. The people quickly adopted Roman culture and the Latin language, and the transition to Roman rule was largely peaceful. As in many other places in Andalusia, the current city plan and the name originate from when Spain was part of the Roman Empire; the Latin name of the city was Antikaria. Under the Romans, the city continued to be an important commercial center, especially known for the quality of its olive oil. The excavated Roman baths can be seen in the southeast part of the city. The Romans were later supplanted by a succession of invading tribes, leading eventually to domination by the Visigoths.
From the middle of the 1st millennium, the Romans were increasingly displaced by people crossing the Pyrenees, including Vandals, Alans, and Suebi. In 554 the Byzantine Empire took power, but they were in turn defeated by the Visigoths in 624.
Al-Andalus
In the year 711 a tribe of Berber people|Berbers out of North Africa (Moors) invaded Spain. By about 716, Antikaria was influenced by Moorish culture, tradition and architecture, and received a new name: Medina Antaquira.
The Moorish state was known for its religious tolerance, and lasted until 1212, when a coalition of Christian kings drove them from Central Spain in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Over the next few years the dominant Almohad dynasty was defeated and Moorish Al-Andalus greatly reduced in strength. Medina Antaquira, which at that time had a population of about 2,600, became one of the northern cities of the remaining Nasrid kingdom of Granada and an important border town. To defend against the Roman Catholic Church|Catholic troops from the northern kingdoms, fortifications were built, and a castle was erected overlooking the city: the Alcazaba. Today only a few parts of the walls and some towers can be seen, including a tower called Torre del Homanje.
For about two hundred years, Medina Antaquira was repeatedly attacked by Christian kings during the Reconquista, and on September 16, 1410 an army led by Ferdinand I of Aragon conquered the city. This gave Ferdinand, who was crowned King of Aragon in 1412, the title "Ferdinand of Antequera" (Don Fernando de Antequera), and the main street still carries his name: Calle Infante Don Fernando.
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After Antequera became part of the Kingdom of Crown of Castile|Castile, the Muslims were either murdered or driven out. The city became a Catholic fortress against the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, and a base for continuing conquest. After Granada, the last Moorish city, capitulated in 1492 Antequera began to recover from the centuries of fighting, and the population increased from 2,000 to almost 15,000 in twenty years.
Antequera became an important commercial town at the crossroads between Málaga to the south, Granada to the east, Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba to the north and Seville to the west. Because of its location, its flourishing agriculture, and the work of its craftsmen, all contributing to the cultural growth of the city, Antequera was called the "Heart of Andalusia" by the early 16th century. During this time the townscape also changed. Mosques and houses were torn down, and new churches and houses built in their place. The oldest church in Antequera, the Gothic architecture|late Gothic Iglesia San Francisco, was built around the year 1500.
In mannerist façade.
Still more churches and convents were built into the 18th century (today there are 32 in the city altogether), as were palaces for the members of the aristocracy and the wealthier citizens in the Spanish Baroque style.
Antequera's prosperity slowly came to a close at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century|18th. Spain had to accept the loss of its American colonies and lost a number of crucial military conflicts in Europe. That led to a deep economic crisis, which in some parts of the country led people to turn to bartering. Church, aristocracy and the upper middle class — the great landowners — who had been the clients and sponsors of the creative arts, lost most of their fortunes and could not afford to build more churches or palaces.
Starting from the mid-18th century, Spain underwent a series of reforms, in particular a land reform and the reduction of the power of the Church (the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767) that produced a slow economic recovery. In Antequera, textile production became the main industry. In 1804, yellow fever caused a setback, as well as the Napoleonic wars which broke out shortly after. In the early 20th century, Antequera's textile industry suffered another serious crisis.
It was only in the 1960s, when the nearby Costa del Sol developed into an international tourism|tourist hotspot, that Antequera experienced another economic upswing. Today the city is an important tourist and cultural center, not only on a regional scale.
References
C. Fernandez, Historia de Antequera, desde su fundación (Malaga, 1842).
Much of the content of this article comes from (retrieved March 20, 2005), loosely rewritten. Other material was added by reference to official sources.
External links
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