From the Arab gardens of La Muralla (remains of the old fortress) built by Abdalaziz in the eighth century and later reinforced by Abderraman III, the visitor’s pupil will contract, victim of the luminosity that the blue Mediterranean distils from the sun.

A few steps away from the unique landscape of La Muralla is one of the few irregular shaped bullrings to be found in Spain (built in 1900) and close by, the church of the Immaculate Conception, built over the remains of an old Arab mosque. Further down is the Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square), in which centre is a beautiful fountain carved from the marble blocks that came down from the mountain in the 1884 floods.
The coastal towns of Fuengirola and Benalmádena can also be clearly seen from the esplanade called El Compás, that spreads before the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña, Patroness of Mijas. It is a sanctuary carved in the hard rock by the monks of the Order of our Lady of Mercy in 1520, after the conquest by the Catholic Monarchs.

Tradition has it that it was around here where the Virgin appeared to two shepherds and since then, an image of the Virgin is witness to the passing of time in her sanctuary with a door of wild ivy; to where the prayers and pleas of a faithful and believing people are directed.

White passages
However, the tracing of the Mijas streets awaken in the visitor a special sheltered feeling. They are its special monument. The streets and houses of El Barrio, taken from Andalusian pictures, whisper kindness while the ceramic and weaving craftsmen and the goldsmiths offer their wares to be seen. These scenes may be enjoyed from the back of the famous “Burro Taxi”, which makes a complete circuit of the most important and typical corners of the village.

This obliging friend will take us up to the Calvario Hermitage, situated on the crown of Mijas, or we can choose to walk up the Camino del Calvario to the sanctuary. This possibility follows the via crucis that the locals celebrate on Holy Week and which crosses the village centre. The chapel stands among luxuriant pine trees where the Carmelite monks had their retreat in older times. The shining whiteness of the façade breaks the comfortable green of the surrounding vegetation, offensively standing out. Without a doubt, the place, and the village in general were well chosen by the civilisations that inhabited this “white spot”, where quiet reigns and isolates from the busy world. Therefore, many important people and foreigners have moved their place of residence and way of life to this quiet place, like modern day monks.
The most famous legend is the one telling of the apparition of the Virgin in the place called El Compás. There, the present Patroness of Mijas appeared to two little shepherds (Asunción and Juan) and she was declared Patroness of the village on the 8th of September, 1682. Since then, this day is commemorated by taking the Virgen de la Peña on procession and her sanctuary, excavated into the rock, is filled with visitors’ votive offerings.

The remote military enclave of Mijas was the rearguard and granary of the nearby Fuengirola. To sight the enemies, pirates and smugglers on the 14 km. of Mijas beaches, four beacon towers were built: Calaburras (1515), in La Cala, Torre Vieja and Torre Nueva (nineteenth century) and the Tower of Calahonda (sixteenth century). But the lighthouse of the Calaburras point is the one that has survived time as a witness. Since 1862 it guided sailors with their olive oil, in 1925 with petroleum and from 1945 onwards, the lighthouse saved the night ships that dared to sail at untimely hours from crashing into the rocks.

Don’t forget to try the Maimones, garlic and tomato soup, cachorreñas, gazpachuelo (a soup of Arab origins), salmorejo, buñuelos (light airy cakes), churros tejeringos and hornazos (fried sweet dough). Specialities which you can enjoy in the numerous restaurants serving local food to be found along the village streets.

The geographical extension of this shining village also translates into a great number of tourist offers. Mijas has views, folklore, legends, history, beaches, a water park and of course, golf.