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By Dee McMath
To my mind, one of the nicest drives inland from
the Costa del Sol and Malaga is out towards Loja
and Granada on the A 359, turning off at the A333
to Villanueva de Tapia. This little village of just 2,000 inhabitants
is 85 kilometres from Malaga City and at sits at
around 660 metres above sea level. It teeters between two worlds,
where the province of Granada ends and that of Cordoba begins and
is just inside the regional boundary of Antequera. When I have driven
either to Cordoba or to Jaen on
that road past Villanueva de Tapia, I also sense that this is the
borderline into 'real' Andalucia.
 The landscape is fairly gentle with some hills
breaking it up here and there, especially in the southern side of
the municipality, where the Pedroso Mountain rises
to a height of 1,205 metres. Undulating olive groves and fields
of cereal crops dominate the countryside to the north of this area.
The Village
Villanueva de Tapia is typical of the white villages
in the rest of the Antequera region. Walking through the little
streets, you can still see vestiges of the 18th century architecture
in the facades of some of the buildings. There is the old Santa
Barbara Inn (now a privately owned property), which adds to the
flavour of the past to this Andalucian enclave.
The parish church sticks out amongst the tiled roofs of the Villanueva de Tapia houses, with its factory brick finish and tall thin tower topped with coloured tiles.
Natural Surroundings
The surrounding countryside contrasts between the
soft rolling olive groves and cereal crops and the backdrop of hills.
Close to the urban centre are the Artillería and Gordo hills and
the Cerezo and Aulaguilla streams. With the main crops being olives
and cereals, water is of great importance and the main source comes
from the 'Nacimiento', 'Borbollón' and 'Matea'. From the north of
the village up to Iznájar (which is right on the border of the Cordoba
Province) olive groves really take over the landscape. Otherwise,
the countryside is mainly covered in old oak and pine forests, in
between rocky areas. You can see the remains of Arabic and Roman
buildings, which although they only amount to some scattered ruins;
they still leave a very interesting historical legacy to the area.
History
After the Christian conquest, what is now Villanueva
de Tapia, became a serious bone of contention between Iznájar
(in the Province of Cordoba) and the municipality of Archidona.
Both towns wanted Villanueva de Tapia to be under their domination.
For this reason the village was nicknamed "Entredicho", (under interdict)
to which it is still sometimes referred. The inhabitants are also
sometimes referred to as 'Entricheros' as well as the more
usual 'Tapienses'. At the beginning of the 17th century,
it was finally decided that this problematic town of 'El Entredicho'
should form part of the Royal Patrimony, which it did on the 20th
June, 1602. Later on, however, under Felipe III, it was decided
that the Crown gained no economic advantage by owning the area and
it was therefore sold off to a member of the Supreme Royal Court
- to one Pedro de Tapia. From then onwards, the urban heart of the
village began to take shape under the patronage of the Count and
Countess of Tapia and to this day the village remains in the name
of Tapia.
Fiestas & Festivals
Around the 12th to 14th June Villanueva de Tapia
celebrates its annual village fair. But without doubt the most important
date on the calendar is from the second weekend in August, up to
around the 12th of that month. It is in celebration of the patron
saint, 'la Virgen del Pilar' and this is when the Cattle
Fair is held. It is most traditional of its kind in Andalucia, steeped
in the history of over a century and with formal deals still often
being sealed with a simple handshake.
Since the year 2000 an extra element of great importance has been added to the fair and now different breeds of cattle from all over Spain are shown and there are organised conferences and seminars on cattle breeding and related subjects. Visitors are offered many local gastronomic delicacies, as they enjoy the seeing all the livestock, horse competitions and the general bustle of Andalucian farming community around them.
'Porqués' Festival - 21st Century
love in Villanueva de Tapia
If you visit Villanueva de Tapia between the 28
and 30 of December, you may be forgiven for thinking you have fallen
into some weird sort of Chaucer country in the heart of Andalucia!
An ancient tradition, called the "porqués" festival has
been revived after a lapse of 50 years. The 'porqués' are the 'whys
and wherefores' and the theme is a special kind of friendship.
The old custom was to get the single men and women
of the village to come along to a fiesta, where previously composed
bawdy verses have been collected together. The people of the village
write the verses themselves. The unmarried members of the community
all gather round and three urns hold the men's name, the women's
names and the rhyming verses.
There is great hilarity as the name of a man and
then a woman and then a very cheeky verse are read out to say why
these two should become special friends. An example of the almost
'Chauceresque' verse is "porque cuando mueves el culo me pongo como
un mulo" (because when you wiggle your bottom, I get like a mule).
This would be why they should get together! Other verses are full
of innuendo and raise the roof with squeals of laughter, proving
this age-old tradition has stood the test of time.
Half a century ago, this would often be how couples
would meet and some of them carried on together after this rude
introduction! With around 40 single women and over 60 single men,
over the age of 30 in Villanueva de Tapia, the revival of this ancient
tradition looks set to entertain and even build bridgeds well into
the 21st century. It may not exactly be as shocking as the Canterbury
tales, but it's a very lively way to stir up some passion for life!
Gastronomy
If you've managed to work up an appetite while
taking in the beautiful countryside and enjoying the clean Andalucian
air, stuffed peppers or a rich chick pea hotpot are two specialities
well worth trying at one of the little bars or restaurants in Villanueva
de Tapia. You can also sample an excellent plate of 'salmorejo'
(a very substantial version of gazpacho - full of flavour and vitamins!)
Bar Tomás in the Avenida de la Constitution and Bar Miguel
a little further on are both modest and typical of the area. Sample
a glass of regional wine with the traditional food and the day will
be complete.
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