119½ M. RAILWAY in 6–6¼ hrs. (fares 28 p. 90, 22 p. 65, 15 p. 95 c.);
railway restaurant at Bobadilla only (change carr.); views thus far on
the left, afterwards on the right.
From Granada to (76 M.) _Bobadilla_, see pp. 73, 72. The train then
continues to follow the _Guadalhorce Valley_.
At (84½ M.) _Gobantes_ begins the *=Hoyo de Chorro=, a ravine,
inaccessible before the railway was made, where the Guadalhorce forces
its passage through the limestone slate rock of the coast-hills. The
train is carried along the left bank by means of tunnels and of high
bridges crossing lateral gorges. Little, however, of the grand rocky
landscape, or of the interesting construction of the line, is seen from
the train on its rapid descent.
Beyond (89 M.) _Chorro_ are seen the first oranges, lemons, palms, and
cypresses. On the short run to Málaga we are carried with more startling
suddenness than anywhere else in Europe into the midst of an almost
tropical vegetation, and finally to the coast-region of sugar-cane,
cotton, and bananas (comp. p. 89).
96 M. =Alora= (328 ft.; pop. 10,300), the ancient _Iluro_, lies to the
right at the foot of the _Sierra del Hacho_. The ‘huertas’, or
garden-like fields, are watered by numerous runlets from the
Guadalhorce. Beyond the last tunnel the valley expands. 101½ M.
_Pizarra_. To the S. rises the _Sierra de Mijas_.
109 M. _Cártama_. The village, the Roman _Cartima_, lies 2½ M. to the
S.W., on the right bank of the Guadalhorce, which was once navigable up
to this point. The loftily situated castle is Moorish.
112½ M. _Campanillas_ lies on the stream of that name, which waters the
hilly wine-country of _Axarquía_ to the N., and falls into the
Guadalhorce. The valley broadens down into the plain, the _Hoya de
Málaga_ (p. 89). We now leave the Guadalhorce, which turns to the S.E.;
to the S. we sight the Mediterranean.
119½ M. =Málaga.=—ARRIVAL. At the RAILWAY STATION (_Estación del
Ferrocarril_; Pl. A, 5) we find hotel-omnibuses, cabs (see p. 89), and
an ‘omnibus general’ (¼ p.), which last goes to the _Despacho
Central_, or town-office of the railway, by the so-called Puerta del
Mar (Calle de Carvajal; Pl. C, 4).—Travellers arriving by STEAMER pay
for landing ½ p. for each person and ½ p. for each trunk; or a bargain
may be made to convey luggage to the custom-house (Aduana) and to the
hotel for 1–2 p.—The coasting steamers only are berthed at the quay.
[Illustration: MÁLAGA]
HOTELS (comp. p. 51). *_Regina Hotel_ (Pl. a; C, 4), on the N. side of
the Alameda, pens. 12–20 p.—*_Hot. Colón_ (Pl. d; C, 3), Plaza de la
Constitución; _Hot. Victoria_ (Pl. b; C, 4), pens. 6–12 p., _Hot.
Niza_ (Pl. c; C, 3), _Hot. Inglés_ (Pl. e; C, 3), pens. 7 p., _Hot.
Alhambra_ (Pl. f; C, 3), pens, from 7 fr., good, all in the Calle del
Marqués de Larios; _Hacienda de Giró_ (Engl. landlady, Mrs. Cooper),
above La Caleta, with garden, pens. 8–15 p.
CAFÉS. _Imperial_, _Inglés_, and _La Vinícola_, all in the Calle del
Marqués de Larios.—BEER. _Gambrinus_, same street; _Cervecería de
Munich_, Plaza de la Constitución; _Maier_, Pasaje de Heredia, N. side
of same plaza.
CABS. Within the town, and to the E. to Hot. Hernán Cortés (p. 92):
cab with two seats, per drive 1, per hr. 2 p., at night 2 and 2½ p.;
with four seats, per drive 1½, per hr. 2½, at night per drive or hour
3 p. Bargain advisable, also as to luggage.—Outside the town according
to bargain: to _Palo_ (p. 92) about 5, to _San José_ and _La
Concepción_ (p. 92) 8–9 p.—On certain festivals fares are raised.
POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (_Correos y Telégrafos_; Pl. D, 3), Calle del
Cister.
BANKS. _Banco Hispano-Americano_, Calle del Marqués de Larios; _Hijos
de Alvárez Fonseca_, Calle Nueva; _Rein & Co._, Alameda de Carlos Haes
4.
CONSULS. British, _P. Staniforth_; vice-consul, _E. R.
Thornton_.—United States, _E. J. Norton_; vice-consul, _T. R.
Geary_.—LLOYD’S AGENT, _Chas. Farguharson_, Cortina del Muelle 69.
ENGLISH CHURCH in the Protestant Cemetery (Pl. F, 3).
STEAMBOAT LINES. _Hall Line_ (agent, Ign. Morales Hurtado, Alameda de
Colón 13), weekly to Cadiz, Lisbon, and London; _Compañía
Trasatlántica_ (office, Viuda de Ant. Duarte), thrice monthly to
Cadiz; _Transports Maritimes_ (P. G. Chaix, Calle de Josefa de Ugarte
Barrientos 26), on 20th of each month to Gibraltar, Madeira, etc.
(comp. also p. 120 and R. 3); _Navigation Mixte_ (P. G. Chaix), from
Tangier viâ Málaga and Melilla to Oran (and Marseilles), see p. 123;
also _Sloman’s Line_ and others.
ONE DAY. Forenoon: _Alameda_, _Park_ (p. 90), _Harbour_ (p. 90),
_Cathedral_ (p. 91), and view from its tower or from the _Gibralfaro_
(p. 92); afternoon: _Protestant Cemetery_, _Caleta_, and _Palo_ (p.
92).
_Málaga_, the capital of a province and seat of a bishop, one of the
oldest and most famous of Mediterranean ports, with 111,900 inhab., lies
picturesquely on the last spurs of a circus of hills, 47 M. long, the
_Sierra Tejea_, _S. de Alhama_, _S. de Abdalajis_, and _S. de Mijas_,
which enclose the broad _Bahía de Málaga_. The inner part of this bay is
bounded on the E. by the _Punta de los Cántales_, and on the W. by the
_Torre de Pimentel_, near Torremolinos; between these rises the
_Gibralfaro_, the castle-hill of Málaga, abutting on the harbour. The
coast-line is gradually being extended seawards by the alluvial deposits
of the _Guadalmedina_ (Arabic ‘town-river’), whose bed, generally dry
(Rambla), separates the old town from the W. suburbs. To the W.
stretches the wonderfully fertile _Vega_ or _Hoya de Málaga_, where even
the sugar-cane, cotton, sweet potatoes (Convolvulus batatas), and
cherimolias (Anona cherimolia) are cultivated. Most famous among the
products of this luxuriant region are the raisins (pasas) and the wines
of Málaga, which are yielded by the Axarquía (p. 88), to the N.W., and
by the Montes de Málaga and the hill of Colmenar, to the N.E., and which
are chiefly exported by British and German firms. In the W. suburbs are
several sugar, cotton, and iron factories, a rare phenomenon in
Andalusia. To the E. are the villa-suburbs, the strangers’ quarter.
Málaga is much resorted to as a winter residence, chiefly by British and
Spanish visitors, on account of the mildness of its climate, the mean
temperature of the three winter months being 55° Fahr.
The HISTORY of Málaga, the _Malaca_ of antiquity, begins with the
Phœnicians (p. 50), who gave the town its name. Down to the time of
Posidonius, the contemporary of Pompey and Cicero, it retained its
Punic character (Strabo III, 4), differing therein from the towns of
Iberian or of Greek origin. The Syrian and other Asiatic merchants who
settled here formed distinct guilds. Although the port was of some
importance in ancient times, it now contains no memorials of either
the Phœnician (except a few coins) or of the Roman period. In 571
_Leovigild_, the Visigoth (p. 69), wrested the town from the
Byzantines. In 711 it was captured by the Moors, who regarded it as an
earthly paradise, and whose Arabic writers vie with each other in
extolling it. After 1246, along with Almería, it became one of the
chief ports of the kingdom of Granada, but its mediæval glory ended
with its conquest by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1487. For centuries
Málaga remained utterly insignificant; but of late, in spite of the
growing competition of Seville and Almería, its trade has improved
considerably.
From the station we follow the tramway line and cross the _Puente de
Tetuán_ (Pl. B, 4) to the PASEO DE LA ALAMEDA (Pl. B, C, 4), a promenade
¼ M. long and 138 ft. wide, planted with planes. At its W. end it is
adorned with a marble _Fountain_ executed in Genoa in 1560, and at the
E. end with a statue of the _Marqués de Larios_. Adjoining this Paseo on
the E. is the PLAZA DE ALFONSO SUÁREZ DE FIGUEROA (Pl. C, 4), with a
tasteful fountain, which leads to the new—
*=Park= (_Parque_ or _Jardines de Enrique Crooke Larios_; Pl. C-E, 4,
3), planted with six rows of planes and palms and with fine flower-beds.
View of the harbour, part of the cathedral, the Alcazaba, and the
Gibralfaro.—The _Paseo de Heredia_ (Pl. C, 5, 4) also, to the W. of the
harbour, is planted with planes and palms.
The =Harbour= (_Puerto_; Pl. C, D, 4, 5) has been much improved since
1881. The E. pier, with the _Lighthouse_ (Faro; Pl. D, 5), was already
built in 1588. On the sand-hills behind the pier a poor suburb has
sprung up, called the _Barrio de Malagueta_ (Pl. E, F, 4, 3). On its N.
side are the _Plaza de Toros_ (Bull Ring; Pl. E, 3) and the _Hospital
Noble_, erected for seamen by Dr. Noble, an English physician.—To the
Caleta, see p. 92.
The _Mercado_ (market-hall; Pl. B, C, 4), to the N. of the Alameda,
deserves an early morning visit; the fish-stalls also are worth seeing.
The horseshoe arch of the chief portal, with the motto of the Nasride
dynasty (p. 74), is a relic of the Moorish wharf, the _Atarazana_
(Arabic Dâr as-San῾a, ‘arsenal’ or ‘place of work’).
From the Alameda issues the CALLE DEL MARQUÉS DE LARIOS (Pl. C, 4, 3),
the chief business street of Málaga (many cafés) and also a favourite
resort of the fashionable and leisured classes. Another important
commercial thoroughfare, to the N.E. of the Plaza de la Constitución, is
the CALLE DE GRANADA (Pl. C, D, 3), officially called _Calle de Salvador
Solier_, from which the Calle de Molina Larios leads to the cathedral.
The *=Cathedral= (Pl. C, D, 3; open 7–11 and 3 to 4.30, in summer 4 to
5.30), a massive edifice, marred, however, by the buildings on the E.
side, occupies the site of a Moorish mosque, which was converted in 1487
into the Gothic _Church of the Incarnation_ (Encarnación). The present
church, which is built entirely of white limestone, was probably planned
by _Diego de Siloe_ (p. 76) in 1538. The building progressed slowly, but
in 1554 it already showed the arms of Philip II. of Spain and Queen Mary
of England. In 1680 it was partly destroyed by an earthquake, but in
1719 the work was resumed with greater energy. It has, however, never
been completed.
The chief W. façade, approached by a fine flight of marble steps and
flanked with two projecting towers, rises opposite the Plaza del Obispo
in two stories, articulated with Corinthian columns. Corresponding with
the three portals are the round-arched windows of the second story. The
N. tower, 280 ft. high, has a third story with Corinthian columns,
surmounted by an octagon with a dome and lantern. The S. tower, like the
central part of the façade, shows only the beginnings of a third story.
The portals of the transept also are flanked with towers.
The INTERIOR, with its nave and aisles and two rows of chapels,
measures 377 by 246 ft. and is 131 ft. in height. The transept and the
ambulatory are grandly proportioned. The round arches of the ornate
vaulting are borne by two sets of pillars, one above the other, the
lower being enriched with Corinthian pilasters.
In the nave is the CHOIR, with its admirable stalls (16–17th cent.).
The carved *Statues of saints and other figures are by _Pedro de Mena_
(d. 1693).
In the RIGHT AISLE is the Capilla del Rosario (the 3rd), which
contains a Madonna of the Rosary with six saints, by _Alonso Cano_.—In
the 1st chapel of the AMBULATORY, the Capilla de los Reyes, are
kneeling statues of the ‘Catholic kings’ (p. 75) and an image of the
Virgin which they always carried with them on their crusades.
The CAPILLA MAYOR, designed by _Al. Cano_, is formed by a semicircle
of light detached pillars. The handsome altar, in the form of a domed
temple with four façades, is modern.
The N. TOWER (entered from outside; over 200 steps; custodian 30–40
c.) commands a strikingly picturesque *View.
The _Sagrario_, the parish church to the N.W. of the cathedral, has a
rich Gothic N. portal from the older cathedral.
The Calle de San Agustín, passing the _Ayuntamiento_ (Pl. D, 3), leads
back to the Calle de Granada (p. 90). At the N.E. end of the latter, on
the right, near the Plaza de Riego (Pl. D, 2, 3), rises the church of
_Santiago el Mayor_ (Pl. D, 3), built on the site of a mosque in 1490,
with a tower whose lower part is still Moorish.
If the traveller is undeterred by dirty streets and begging children, he
may ascend from the Plaza de Riego to the S.E. viâ the Calle del Mundo
Nuevo to the saddle of the _Coracha_ and the Moorish castle of
=Alcazaba= (Pl. D, 3; p. 81), the scanty ruins of which are chiefly
inhabited by gipsies. This hill-town, once connected with the Gibralfaro
by double walls, probably stands on the site of the earliest Phœnician
settlement.
The *=Gibralfaro= (Pl. E, 2, 3; 558 ft.; from _jebel_, mountain, and
_pharos_, lighthouse), whose original fortifications date back to the
13th cent., affords an extensive view, ranging to the S., in very clear
weather, as far as the Monte Melila in Africa (p. 124). The ascent from
the Coracha (p. 91) is fairly easy. Leave to see the castle must be
obtained beforehand from the commandant, at the Gobierno Militar,
Alameda de Colón 2. The same views may be obtained by walking round the
old enclosing walls, but this is fatiguing.
At the foot of the Gibralfaro runs the Avenida de Pries (Pl. F, 3),
leading to the villa-quarter of =Caleta= (Pl. F, G, 3), where are
several pensions and many superb gardens. (Electric tramway from the
Paseo de Alameda to Palo; also steam-tramway from the harbour to
Vélez-Málaga.) Immediately on the left is the pretty Protestant
cemetery, or =Cementerio Inglés=, founded in 1830 by the British consul
W. Mark (usually open). The little _English Church_ here was built in
1891. At the E. end of Caleta, beyond the _Hot.-Restaurant Hernán
Cortés_ (Pl. k; G, 3), roads diverge to the left for the _Limonar
Valley_ (Pl. G, 2, 1), where lie the residential suburbs of _Limonar_,
_Higueral_, and _Miramar_.—We may follow the highroad, which affords
charming views, but is generally very dusty, to the fishing-village of
_Palo_, 2 M. beyond the Hot. Hernán Cortés.
A delightful excursion may be taken to the beautiful park of the
_Hacienda de San José_, 2½ M. to the N. of Málaga, and to the villa of
*=La Concepción=, a little beyond it. The latter contains an elegant
modern temple with Roman antiquities. The road (carr., see p. 89)
leads from the Plaza de Capuchinos up the Guadalmedina. From the
Cementerio de San Miguel (comp. Pl. D, 1; tramway) walkers may wander
along the water-conduit, halfway up the slope (40 min.), and then
descend the avenue of plane-trees to the left to the highroad.