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The charming white village of Teba
Accommodation
by John Gill
High on a rocky saddle in the mountains east of
Ronda, some 15km north of
Ardales, the small (pop: 4,000)
town of Teba has one of the most extraordinary historical connections
of any of Andalucía's pueblos.
Like many of its neighbours - although Teba doesn't
have that many neighbours in this wild, semi-agricultural mountain
region - Teba has a history stretching back to Roman and Neolithic
times. Its true to claim to fame, however, is in the events of 25
August 1330. In the thick of the Reconquest, that year Teba was
under siege by the armies of King Alfonso XI of Castilla, determined
to take this important strategic site from the occupying Moors.
 That day in 1330, Alfonso's forces received unexpected
police backup from the army being led to the Crusades by Sir James
Douglas, or Black Douglas, a fearsome warrior whose name was invoked
against misbehaving children for centuries afterwards. Douglas had
helped Robert the Bruce defeat Edward II and the English at Bannockburn
in 1314. When Robert the Bruce died in 1329, his heart was cut out
and placed in a small silver casket, said to be one of the king's
favourites, and was taken by Douglas on his Crusade, ostensibly
to give cheer to the soldiers.
En route through Spain, Douglas encountered Alfonso's
army, and presented himself and a letter of introduction from then
King Edward III. The bloodthirsty Crusader eagerly threw his forces
behind those of Alfonso's, and in an attempt to inspire his men
into even greater bravery hurled the locket containing Robert the
Bruce's heart into the fray, plunging in after it.
The locket was retrieved but, alas, Black Douglas
wasn't. The locket was returned to Melrose Abbey, where the new
king, David II, son of Robert, wanted it buried. During archaeological
investigations in 1996, a small container was found in the alleged
site of the burial. It was found to contain a small conical casket
about ten inches high by four in diameter at its base, tapering
to a flat lid at the top about one and a half inches across. Although
worn with age the casket was still in good condition and bore a
legible inscription: 'The enclosed leaden casket containing a heart
was found beneath Chapter House floor, March 1921, by His Majesty's
Office of Works.' The casket containing the heart was not re-opened
on this occasion, but buried again during a private ceremony at
Melrose Abbey on 22 June 1998.
This was by no means Teba's only unlikely collision
with Scottish history. The Moors repelled Alfonso and the unfortunate
Black Douglas that year. A later passing Scottish Crusader army,
led by the Earl of Selkirk, also engaged Teba's Moorish rulers,
leaving behind a one-ton slab of Dumfriesshire marble, which is
nowadays a commemorative plaque in the town's central Plaza de España,
renamed Plaza de Douglas in the Crusader's honour. Alfonso's forces
finally took the town in 1389.
Teba's earlier history is less dramatic. There is
evidence of Neolithic settlements here and nearby in the Pilarejo
area and in the Palomas caves. The Romans considered it an important
settlement, building the first defensive settlement at the hilltop
site they called Attegua but now known as Teba la Vieja (Old Teba).
It is said to have been the site of a famous battle between Julius
Caesar and Pompey. In the 8th century invading Moors reinforced
the Roman site with a walled interior precinct, or bailey, but shortly
after the Moorish invasion the settlement was moved below the abandoned
castle, and the settlement renamed Ostipo.
In its remote situation, Teba 'sat out' much of
post-Reconquest history, perched above vast, dramatic sweeps of
largely uninhabited farmland owned by the so-called latifundistas,
basically, absentee landlords. Its wealth can be seen in the many
mansions and handsome town houses lining its streets.
As well as its castle, it also boasts the impressive
18th century parish church of Santa Cruz, with three naves and towering
columns of red marble quarried from the El
Torcal region, and intricate gold and silver artefacts in the
sacristy. Near the main alter there is also a rare gold plated cross,
dating from the 16th century, donated by Ferdinand and Isabel, and
said to be only one of two of its kind in Spain. With time, also
seek out the nearby 15th century convent of San Francisco.
Teba has some of the most remarkable vistas in the
entire region. Sitting above the Guadalteba river, with views down
over the Guadalteba-Guadalhorce dam below, Teba has views in almost
every direction. The rich olive and cereal plantations of the surrounding
Sierra Penarrubia undulate to the horizon. Nearby, just 3km away,
the Garganta ('throat') de Teba is a gorge cut through the mountains
by the Rio la Venta river. The gorge, known as
the Tajo del Molino, is a prime site for butterfly
and bird enthusiasts, and its remote setting makes it perfect for
spotting eagles and other raptors.
Teba has three major annual festivals. On 15 May,
a pilgrimage in honour of local saint Isidore Labrador leaves the
town in the morning and winds down to the shores of the Guadalteba-Guadalhorce
dam. The summer feria is short, usually only from 10-12 August.
The biggest one-day event, however, is 7 October, the day in celebration
of the town's patron saint, the Virgin of the Rosary.
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| La
Calera
Beautifully renovated Finca in Teba offering 3 individual
self-catering apartments sharing a pool. Spectacular position
and views. |
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