Casares is a town and municipality in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, located in

Málaga province Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most popu ...

, in the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

Geography and demography

The municipality has a population of 4,051 (male: 2,139, female: 1,912), an area of 160 km². It has a density of 25.3. The municipality borders

Estepona Estepona () is a town and municipality in the comarca of the Costa del Sol, southern Spain. It is located in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its district covers an area of 137 square kilometers in a fertile ...

Manilva Manilva is a municipality which lies on the coast at the southwesternmost edge of the province of Málaga on its border with the Province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Costa del Sol Oc ...

, and

Gaucín Gaucín () is a town and municipality located in the mountains of Andalusia in the province of Málaga in southern Spain. It is inland from Marbella, Puerto Banús and Estepona and not far from Ronda. The village has a population of approximatel ...

. The town of Casares has Moorish cliff-hugging buildings.

History

In Roman times the spa of la Hedionda, located on the road to Manilva, was already well known, and this is where Julius Caesar supposedly was cured of a liver complaint, thanks to the sulfuric waters that still pour out of the local spring. For this reason, during the Roman Empire, Casares was allowed by emperors to mint its own coins. The 12th-century castle, around which grew the present town center, was founded by the occupying Moors. In 1361,

Peter I of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...

and the dethroned

Muhammed V Abu Abdallah Muhammad V () (4 January 1339 – 16 January 1391), known by the regnal name al-Ghani bi'llah ( ar, الغني بالله, al-Ghanī bi-ʾllāh, He who is contented with God), was the eighth Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada i ...

signed the Pact of Casares, by which the Moorish King recuperated his throne, leaving Casares as part of the

Nasrid dynasty The Nasrid dynasty ( ar, بنو نصر ''banū Naṣr'' or ''banū al-Aḥmar''; Spanish: ''Nazarí'') was the last Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula, ruling the Emirate of Granada from 1230 until 1492. Its members claimed to be of Arab ...

. The town surrendered to the Catholic forces after the fall of

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

in 1485 and was handed over to Rodrigo Ponce de León, Duke of Cádiz. Later during the Rebellion of the Moriscos, Rodrigo's descendant, the Duke of Arcos, accepted the surrender of the rebel Moriscos, the Moors who had "converted" to Christianity. Casares had taken an active part in the Morisco rebellion, put down by

Don John of Austria John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...

. The town separated from Manilva in 1795, being granted the title of Villa. At a later period, Casares was the only town, apart from

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, that the Napoleonic troops had not been able to take. More recent history indicates the old village as the birthplace of the father of Andalusian nationalism, Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas, labor lawyer, politician and writer, who is considered to be the largest historic figure in Andalusia. He was born in 1885 and died during the civil struggle in 1936. Since 1978 the historical and artistic heritage of the village has been officially protected.

Celebrations

The main fair (Feria) of Casares takes place during the first weekend in August. The day of the patron saint, the Virgen del Rosario, is celebrated in the first week in September, and in the middle of this month too is the Feria del Cristo. The most important of the Romero takes place the last Saturday in May.

Local administration

The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Casares is José Carrasco Martínez, of Izquierda Unida– Los Verdes–Convocatoria por Andalucía. This coalition has seven

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s in the town's

ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * ca, ajuntament (). * gl, concello (). * eu, udaletxea (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin Amer ...

, while the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gove ...

have two and People's Party another two.

Elections

In the 2016 Spanish General Election, the

got 31% of the vote in Casares, closely challenged by coalition of Podemos, Izquierda Unida and

Equo Greens Equo (and formerly Q or eQuo) is a Spanish political party founded on 4 June 2011, when 35 Spanish green parties agreed to merge into Equo. It began as a foundation on 24 September 2010 with the goal of becoming "the seed and source of deb ...

with 27.43% and by the Partido Popular with 24.65%.

Notable natives

Blas Infante Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas (5 July 1885 – 11 August 1936) was a Spanish Andalusist politician, Georgist, writer, historian and musicologist, known as the father of Andalusian nationalism ''(Padre de la Patria Andaluza)''. Infante was a ...

References

https://resultados.elpais.com/resultats/eleccions/2016/generals/congreso/01/29/41.html in Spanish

External links

Casares information website , Ayuntamiento de Casares

Aerial view of Casares, Málaga, Spain. (Google maps)

Panoramic photo of Casares

Casares Walks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casares, Malaga Municipalities in the Province of Málaga