Villages in Málaga

Jimera de Libar

Jimera de Libar is located in one of the most beautiful valleys of the geography of Málaga, the Guadiaro Valley, in the middle of Serranía de Ronda, being part of it in the Nature Reserve “Sierra de Grazalema”.

Its population is located in the centre of the village at a height of 540m, and it is divided into two city centers: Jimera de Libar, in the upper part, and the Barriada de la Estación, close to the river, through which the railway Bobadilla – Algeciras crosses.

The protection of the mountains that encloses the valley like the orientation favor the enjoyment of a mild temperature all through the year, and this added to the stillness and the greenness of the landscape make Jimera de Libar an ideal place for going on trips and for holidays.

Jimera de Libar has always been a place of human townships like it is shown in the Cave of la Pileta and because of that it is thought that it was occupied by the Neolithic man. Later, it is thought, that the Phoenicians occupied this area.

In the property called The Treasure (El Tesoro) there were found remains of pottery and of a town and its necropolis, probably of Roman origin with jewels and others tools that was a part of the funeral’s dowry.

The Romans crossed it through a road that joined the Campo de Gibraltar with Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja) being a witness of the clash Pompeyo y Viriato.

In Arabs age called Jimera de Líbar Inz – Almaraz that means fortress or woman’s castle.

In XV century with the reconquest of Ronda by the Reyes Católicos it was called “Place of Ximera de Libar”, referring to the helmet of armour

It is in 1669 when it has the nowadays name.

Jimera de Libar Monuments

Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario
Mill La Flor (Molino la Flor)
Property Elk Tesoro (Finca El Tesoro)
The Fountain

The Hermitage or Chapel of Our Lady of Health.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Health (Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Salud) was probably built in the 17th century on the spot where tradition says the Virgen May appeared. The ruins of the original hermitage can be seen through some railings to the right of the road that leads to Benaoján station, heading upstream.

The hermitage is rectangula in shape and people used to enter through a semi-circular arch in the front of the building.

Every year between May and August, the image of the Virgen de la Salud (patron saint of Jimera de Libar) is brought from the Parish Church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) in Jimera to this moderm chapel to be venerated by the neighbors of the Station (La Estación).

Gastronomy of Jimera de Libar

The gastronomy of Jimera de Libar is typically Mediterranean with a traditional and marked flavour of Andalucía, where there is plentiful of vegetable stews and main courses, cooked with olive oil and products of the slaughtering typical of the Serranía.

The cooking of this village is famous both for the products of the land (hunting meal, vegetables, fruits), and for the seasons of the year and the weather that determines the customs of the meals, with some typical seasonal dishes (mushrooms in autumn, wild asparagus in rainy seasons and tagarninas (Spanish oyster plant), fennels and corn salads in spring).

Typical dishes: malcocinado (giblets), fried breadcrumbs, soup of vinegar, omelette of tagarninas (Spanish oyster plant) or wild asparagus.

The Innocents

The Martyrs of Igueriben were famous soldiers of Jimera who died in Africa war in the twenties.

28th January of each year it was a custom in Jimera that the youth who reach the call-up age celebrates a feast at the expense of the neighborhood. For that, the Mayor that day gave them the stick of command and the keys of the prison.

The National Servicemen were masqueraded and with their faces painted went out the street and if they grasped someone this person should pay a ransom or, otherwise, this person was sent to jail.

How to get there

From the Costa del Sol take the Motorway AP-7 (N-340) and off Manilva (the furthest village of the western area of Málaga) you enter the road A-377 towards Ronda. When you arrive Gaucín the road changes the nomenclature and it now is A-369, and you have to pass through Algatocín, Benadalid and Atajate before catching the swerve of the road MA-508, which leads to Jimera de Líbar. From Ronda you have to take A-369 down to Atajate, and from this village, like in Atajate, start MA-508 down to Jimera de Líbar.

Distances

Ronda 24 km
Gaucín 23 km
Málaga 138 km
Cortes de la Frontera 9,5 km