Cuevas del Becerro

Basic data
Size: 16 Km²
Population: 1,989
Residents known as: Cueveños
Monuments: Ruined Medieval Castle, Cueva del Moro and Nacimiento Fountain.
Geographical situation: In the Guadalteba area, in the Sierra de Espartosa, 20 kilometres from Ronda and 105 from Malaga, at 733 metres above sea level.
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/Real, 41. 29470.
Phone: 952 162 002 Fax: 952 162 001.
 


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Source of the River Cuevas

Cuevas del Becerro is one of the smallest municipalities in the province, situated on a narrow spur between the road and the stream of the same name. It is regarded as the northern entrance to the Ronda Mountains region, and is an oasis of tranquillity among the high mountains. The mean temperature is 20 degrees. The town itself is similar in layout to other towns of the Serranía de Ronda. The houses are generally low, many of them with a back yard for keeping animals in. The origin of the name is not very clear, although there are various theories on the subject. One theory is that a figure made of gold, in the shape of a calf (becerro), was found in one of the numerous caves in the area. A local legend tells of a calf lost in a cave and discovered there due to his braying, this rather inconsequential incident giving rise to the origin of the town’s name. One thing clear, nevertheless, is the Roman presence in the area, testified to by the remains of Roman pottery ovens found here. Neolithic remains have also been found in some areas, including the western and northern slopes of the Cerro del Castillón, the Fuente del Zorro area and the north-eastern border of the Cerro de las Palomas. The local economy is based on agriculture, with wheat, olives, barley, chickpeas and sunflowers being the most common crops. Vegetables for mainly home consumption are grown in the small vegetable patches near the town. Among the most beautiful parts of the municipality is that known as the Castillejo, filled with almond trees and wild flowers.

Places to be visited
Around Cuevas
Cuevas del Becerro is situated in a valley of great natural beauty, surrounded by mountains that have protected it throughout the ages. The municipality reaches to the north of the Sierra Espartosa, a prolongation of the Sierra de los Merinos, whose average peak height is 780 metres. Here there are sharp slopes and sudden walls of rock, running down to the Serrato area and crossed east to west by the river Cuevas.
Castillejos de Cuevas del Becerro
To the south of the municipality of Cuevas del Becerro, at more than 800 metres high, stands a defensive structure that dominates the town. Within sight of the neighbouring towers of Viján, the Torrecilla de Teba and the tower of Ortegícar, this is a small fortress built in an irregular shape. The entire top of the hill was protected by a wall made of rubble, with only the foundations surviving the passage of time, apart from a section that looks to the east of about one and a half metres high. There was once a settlement at this place, and as we can see from ceramic pieces found close to the surface, we can place it sometime in the 9th century. The presence of the water source on the side of the hill perhaps explains its reason for being there.
Where to eat 

Venta Vista Alegre. Specialising in stews. Ctra. Ronda-Campillos. Tel: 952 162 155.
Restaurante Ventorrillo. Traditional cuisine. Ctra. Ronda-Campillos. Tel: 952 162 071.
Restaurante Chez Pepe. Home cooking. Ctra. Ronda-Campillos. Tel: 952 163 055.
Where to sleep 

Rural accommodation Cortijo Nuevo.  Tel: 952 162 097.
Rural accommodation Huerta Nueva.  Tel: 952 276 229.
Rural Accommodation in the province of Malaga (in Spanish)

Streets and houses in Cuevas del Becerro

FIESTAS
The festival in honour of the town’s patron saint, San Antonio Abad, take place on January 17th and on September 3rd, 4th and 5th. The day of the Candelarias takes place on February 2nd, with bonfires in the streets in remembrance of the traditional fires lit when the labourers went out to work on the land. Carnival time is very important in Cuevas del Becerro, when various competitions are organised for the people of the place. One of the most traditional festivals in the town is the Día de la Vieja, the Day of the Old Person. In the middle of the Lenten period it is customary here for everybody to head out to the countryside to eat, stoning a huge doll they bring with them.
The Romería de San Isidro takes place in the middle of May, with organised meals in the countryside and music and dancing. The emigrants of the place have their day here too, at the end of July. And finally, in September, there is All Saints Day, when the people of the town eat chestnuts in the countryside.

GASTRONOMY
Pork is the most traditional food product of Cuevas del Becerro, the other popular dish here being chickpea stew. In general, the cuisine of the area is similar to that of other towns in the Ronda Mountains, with most dishes based on the products of the local soil.

FLORA AND FAUNA
Part of the municipality extends into the Navetas, in the Sierra de Carrasco, where the ground is covered mainly in oak trees. There is, nevertheless, a large portion of the land given over to cultivation. Here in the mountains skies one sees the majestic eagle, the pilgrim hawk, the royal owl and the kestrel, while the animals on the ground include the mountain cat, the roe deer and the mongoose.