Mijas
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Mijas Location in Spain.
Coordinates: 36°35′44″N 4°38′14″W / 36.59556°N 4.63722°W / 36.59556; -4.63722
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Málaga
Comarca	Costa del Sol Occidental
Government
• Mayor	Antonio Sánchez Pacheco
Area
• Total	148.8 km2 (57.5 sq mi)
Elevation	428 m (1,404 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	73,787
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Demonym	Mijeños
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	Official website

Village in Mijas

Calahonda

Mijas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, in Andalusia, southern Spain. It is a typically Andalusian white-washed village located at a mountain side about 450 m above mean sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region. There are some local history museums and many souvenir shops, Mijas also has seven golf courses (four more are under construction) including La Cala Resort, the biggest golf resort in Spain.

The municipality includes:

• Mijas Pueblo (the hillside village)
• Mijas Costa (main commercial and residential area adjacent to (but not strictly part of) Fuengirola
• La Cala de Mijas (separate village and small resort by the sea to the west)
• Las Lagunas (largely suburban and mixed commercial to the north of Fuengirola).

Economy is mostly based on tourism. Agricultural produces include potatoes, cereals and avocado.

History[link]

Founded in prehistoric times by the Tertessians, it was known as Tamisa by the Romans; later the name changed to Mixa and finally to the current Mijas. The Romans were replaced by the Visigoths, and then, after 714, by the Moors.

At the time of emirate of Córdoba, it was conquered by Umar ibn Hafsun, remaining under the rule of Bobastro until the latter was defeated by Abd al-Rahman III.

In 1487 Mijas resisted to the attacks of the Catholic Monarchs during the siege of Málaga; later the inhabitants surrendered and were most sold as slaves. During the Revolt of the Comuneros it remained loyal to the Spanish crown, which granted Mijas the title of 'Muy Leal ("Very Loyal").

Mijas was a village belonging to Turdenisia, founded next to the fortification which remains are still in the actual “plateau of the wall”. Phoenicians and Greeks passed through here, attracted by the minerals and metals abounded in the area, as was evidence by Ptolemy’s and his Geography at II century Romans, called it Tamisa and remained an important trade, helped with the construction of “Via Apia” way that linked Málaga and Cadiz. First terraces and grapes planting are attributed to the romans. The Visigoths replaced romans; the Arabs come after the Malaga’s fall at 714. Muslins allowed the Tamisa inhabitants conserved their properties, their region and customs or one of every three parts of the production of the farm and range. Muslins were who contracted the name of the town and the place started to be Mixa. At the time of the Cordoba’s emirate, the leader Omar Ben Hafsun conquered Mijas with some other towns like Tolox and Comares. Mijas was at Bobastro’s army again Abderraman III regains it at ninth century. Later, in 1487, Mijas resisted the Catholic Monarch attacks until the Malaga’s siege. After this, the inhabitants surrendered and were sold as slaves to the nobility and other gentlemen who participated in the war and after Granada’s conquest; they proceed with the distribution of houses and land of the village to the Christians. A few years after, during the Communities War, Mijas remained loyal to Carlos I the Emperor and Mijas were given the title of Very Loyal. Later in 1521, Juana declared exempt from sales tax and gave it the title of village. At this time and until the beginning of the XVIII century, there was a hard trouble with the intense pirates activity all over the coast. So at 1492, they started to build watchtowers along the coastal to prevent the population and to combat pirates (this tower, can be visited nowadays in Mijas costa). '

[edit] Modern age'

At XIX century, Mija’s livelihood, were mainly agriculture and fishing, plus some farming and mineral extraction. And vines were the main wealth of Mijas until the Philloxera plague destroyed all the plantations. Also important was the paper production’s. It was found some mills located in the area of “Osunillas” 1744. At the half of the century, was the most productive time in the industry, thanks to the arrival of Valencia’s papermakers, a carpenter from Alcoy (a Alicante’s Spanish town) and a mop, which created new functional links on this manufacture. Especially notable was the “paper beds”, very useful at Malaga because they used it as a raisins wrapper. An important historical thing happened on December 2, 1831. General Torrijos landed at the beach “El charcón” with 52 men. They crossed Mijas, upped the hill to the top and refugee at a house on “Alqueria” in “Alhaurin de la torre”, Molinas County property. They were surrounded by the troops of the governor Gonzales Moreno. And Torrijos and his companion were shot on the San Andres beaches on December 11, 1831. In 1873 they opened the road between Mijas and Fuengirola. Fuengirola was segregated from Mijas in 1841. However, the village remained isolated until the second republic, when the firsts newspaper arrives. There was no phone until 1953 and as descriptions of the time; the town consisted mostly of shacks. The population was scattered across the countryside, which had small farm structure. At the post war period there was much hunger and lack work. The only work in the area were the collection of grass for the esparto, and this became worse because many drought. During this year, Mijas also was the scene of anti-Franco army operations thanks to the support and respect that this army enjoyed in this zone. In the 50’s an asbestos factory came to alleviate unemployment and began building small hotel because the fame that Costa del Sol was getting. With the advent of tourism the towns of La Cala and Las Laguna and began construction of residential urbanizations that makes real states like chollocasa, cala, irentinspain, and many mores born. Las Laguna, appeared out of nowhere from the interior of the term farmers. The Cala was a rural village with just 19 farming families.

Climate[link]

The Climate of Mijas, due to the proximity of the sea, conditions mild temperatures, with an average of 18 °C without heat in summer and little frost in winter. The rainfall is below 600ml per year. They occur mainly between November and January. The town boasts some 2920 hours of sunshine a year

Ascending to the mountains, the climate changes gradually. Temperatures can drop to 10 °C. In the peaks may be some ice in winter, over 600 meters, while precipitation increases to almost 800ml.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mijas

• Official website
• Malaga Metropolitan Transport Consortium

Coordinates: 36°36′N 4°38′W / 36.6°N 4.633°W / 36.6; -4.633