Frigiliana – Mountainous Spanish Village of Sugar Canes

The small village of Frigiliana located to the east of the Malaga region in Axaquia has a population of around 2,690 people and sits 435m above sea level in the area between the Montes de Malaga and the Mediterranean Sea. It is just a short, 56km drive from the main airport of the region in Malaga and can be found on the southern side of the Alimjara Mountain. The proximity to the mountain and the water which flows from it, such as the river Chillar that passes through the village, make the lands around this region very fertile.

Megalithic monuments and the remains of a necropolis have been discovered in the village, which serve as evidence that the area was occupied as far back in history as the prehistoric period. The name of the village is thought to have originated from the Latin Frexinius, as the Romans and Arabs were one-time occupiers of the area as can be seen by the Moorish fortress dating from the 11th century but now laying in ruins, which once safeguarded the security of the inhabitants.

History books describe Frigiliana as a rocky and mountainous place that could be defended from an entire army of invaders by a relatively small number of well armed people, due mainly to the difficulty they would have in gaining access. One such historical story goes that when the village was surrounded by the Catholic troops of Arevalo de Suazo and a further twelve infantry units returning from battles in Italy, over two thousand of the four thousand Moriscos living in the village died during their attempts to protect it.

During the battle many of the village’s women, who had fought bravely beside the men, chose to jump from the cliffs with their children in preference to becoming captured by the Catholic troops. Some of them did manage to escape into the Alpujarras Mountains, but as many of them had been badly injured during battle, they died before reaching safety. The Catholics eventually drove out the Moriscos in 1609 and subsequently divided up their possessions between them.

The fertile lands surrounding the village make this an ideal place to cultivate crops and this makes agriculture the main source of income for the village particularly vines and olive trees and in more recent times subtropical fruits too.

The streets of Frigiliana run parallel and perpendicular to the central square and the village is regarded as having the finest Arab constructions in the province with Moorish architecture in the form of passageways, steps and gates in evidence.

The sugar cane factory, which was the palace of the Count of Frigiliana during the sixteenth century, and the remains of a silo dating from 1767 are preserved for modern day visitors. Ceramic panels by Amparo Ruiz de Luna describing the battle of Frigiliana are one of the more famed monuments in the village. Blankets, carpets and all other sorts of loom work are also industries that make the village famous.

As is the norm with many Spanish villages, fiestas are part of the way of life and Frigiliana is no different, enjoying the festival honouring San Sebastian and the San Antonio pilgrimage occurring on June 13th each year with the May and Easter processions also being noteworthy events.

Cuisine of the village has many traditional recipes, which include baby goat in either almond or garlic sauce, fennel, cabbage and the famous Easter stew (made with cod, egg and flour all soaked in sugar cane honey). Black pudding and chorizo are some other popular dishes of the village and honey made from sugar cane is used in a wide variety of sweets including arropia and marcocha in which the honey is left to solidify and in other products such as flans, yoghurts, etc. The local wine is also well known and much esteemed.