Mojácar through its heritage and legends. (EN)

The heart of Mojácar, the Plaza Nueva offers unique views of the valley, the Aguas River and neighboring villages. Next to it stands the privately owned 16th century Ermita de los Dolores, which houses a souvenir store. Further down, the Cave of Mariquita la Posá holds a legend: a brave young woman who, in order to save the town from the plague, stole the remedy from an alchemist. Since then, it is said that her enchanted spirit lurks on moonlit nights. A corner full of history, magic and popular tradition.

Viewpoint located 175 m above the sea, it offers unique views of the Mediterranean. Here is preserved a Muslim cistern and was a former stronghold until the eighteenth century. The musician Enrique Arias built his residence and auditorium, the site of pioneering festivals. In front of the viewpoint stands the Cerro del Moro Manco, a name that recalls the legend of a messenger who, out of loyalty to his people, cut off his hand to free himself. The feat gave Mojácar the title of "Very Noble and Very Loyal City".

Enmedio Street follows the old wall. In the Town Hall square stands out a centenary ficus and the Mojácar coat of arms, with the motto of noble and loyal city granted by Felipe II. On the ground, mosaics of the Indalo, an ancestral symbol of protection. It represents a man with open arms under an arch. Associated with cave paintings, it was recovered by the Indalian movement in 1945. Today it is an emblem of Mojácar and a symbol of luck for those who receive it.

The City Gate or Puerta de la Almedina, as its Arabic inscription says, is a semicircular arch from 1574, which supports the coat of arms of Mojácar (double-headed eagle of the house of the Austrias, a prize for the loyalty shown in the battle of the Alpujarra). It served as the entrance to the town until the construction of the new access. Here was located the market taking advantage of its communication with the Plaza del Caño. It leads us to the Arrabal El Torreón, ancient chamber for the collection of "door taxes". Its current layout is from the 18th century, and currently houses a charming guesthouse. A very photogenic and picturesque place, it cannot be visited inside, but it is well worth observing its external location. It is said that Walt Disney was hiding a secret about its origin. The CIA, it seems, pressured him for years. His films reflect orphans or absent mothers. His daughter tried to disprove the legend, but could never prove his birth in the U.S. When asked on a visit to Dalí if he was Spanish, he said it was a mistake... because a certain Zamora worked in his studio. Coincidence? Mojácar keeps this enigma between myth, history and mystery.

The church of Santa Maria, from the 16th century, was built over an old mosque. Made of large ashlars, it was a temple and fortress. Its sober interior houses a work by the painter Michael Sucker and images of the Virgin of the Rosary and St. Augustine, patron saints of Mojacar. In the neighboring Plaza del Parterre, former Muslim cemetery, there is a handmade reproduction of a scene of the Reconquest, inspired by the choir stalls of the cathedral of Toledo.

With 13 spouts and three pillars, this fountain was a vital axis of Mojácar's life: it supplied water, it was a washing place and a meeting point. Its existence is already mentioned in ancient Arabic texts. Its precious waters have served over the centuries to quench thirst, to wash and to irrigate plants. The washerwomen, in order not to contaminate the water that irrigated the orchards, washed from the inside out and with their feet in the water. An important piece of Mojácar's history is reflected in the inscribed tombstone Here was born the legend of the Maquisa, a tireless washerwoman who seemed to emerge from the water itself. Day and night she washed without rest, until she became, according to the story, half woman, half amphibian. One day she disappeared without a trace. Some believe that she returned to the water that gave her life, as foam from the blue soap with which she washed her soul and the clothes of the people.