Mijas History and Culture
Historical Mijas
Torremolinos Coast Line
Torremolinos is a tourism-oriented city and municipality on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga, in the province of Málaga in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain. A poor fishing village before the growth in tourism beginning in the late 1950s, Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol resorts to develop. It is very popular with British tourists and has a large British expatriate population. Areas of the town are dominated by high-rise development.
Torremolinos had its heyday during the eighties and into the nineties, but over the last five years there has been a noticeable shortening of the 'high' season, and a change in the demographic structure of visitors. It continues to have a thriving indigenous gay population, which it continues to attract. It also attracts families, but the young fun-loving 18-30 visitors are being replaced by an older crowd of 'snowbirds' - pensioners travelling overseas, over winter for the sunshine. Nowadays, with no straight nightclubs open in Torremolinos, younger tourists are simply moving further down the coast to Fuengirola and Marbella.
The strategic coastal location of Torremolinos, made it a place of settlement for ancient civilizations; Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs.
The first mention of the town appears in 1498, year of the Christian Reconquest of Málaga, during the land parcelling. Reference is made to a marvelous spot known as the "Molinos de la Torre", (the mills of the Tower), powered by water from the abundant springs in whose environs the Catholic Kings and their vast troops encamped during the siege of Málaga; territory that in present day belongs to the municipality of alhaurín de la Torre.
Torremolinos' Bustling City Center
In 1502 it came under the rule of Málaga with the name of "Torres de Pimentel" (the towers of Pimentel), in honour of Rodrigo Pimentel, Count of Benavente to whom most of the lands were given in thanks for his cooperation with horses and food, during the siege of Málaga.
In 1849 "el Madoz" published: Torremolinos is a place with a town hall, belonging to the province, judicial district and dioceses of Málaga, two leagues from the capital; Territorial Audience and General Captainship of Granada. Due to its location at the foothills of the Mijas mountains and at rifle shot distance from the sea, it has a healthy climate, only whit seasonal common illnesses. It has 234 houses, one square room used as jail, and an elementary school with 44 pupils, with an annual allotment of 1.100 "reales" plus 300 more for material and a private school sustained by the 14 girls attending it; a parochial chuech (San Miguel), a cementery with 6 burial chambers belonging to the "Hermandad de las Animas" (Brotherhood of Souls) and 8 belonging to local people and last an abundant spring, whose waters are used fur human consumption, movement of mills and for irrigation
From the peaceful agricultural, fishing and flour producing Andalusian village of 3.000 inhabitants that Torremolinos used to be in 1.920, Torremolinos has grown into the world-know touristic town, that in high season houses more than 250.000 tourists, placing it ahead of more than 35 Spanish province capitals in number of inhabitants.
Torremolinos remained an independent municipality until 1.924, when it became patr of Málaga, until a popular movement promoted by the Proautonomy Council of Torremolinos, regained its independence, constituting the municipality of Torremolinos on September 27, 1988.
At the end of the 50's, when the "tourist boom" began, the small town composed of a downtown area around san Miguel street and the "El Calvario" , "El Bajondillo" and "La Carihuela" neighbourhoods, began its urban and economical take off to become the number one touristic municipality of Andalusia and one of the most important at national and international level.
