World4Traveler

Nestled in the rugged terrain of the Sierra der Limpar mountain range in the Ronda highlands is the village of Benaojanin Andalucia.

The village is 17km from Ronda in an area dominated the peaks of La Ventana and El Palo with the impressive River Guadiaro winding its way through the area

The main reason for visiting the area is the magnificent landscape with many areas of natural beauty and environmental interest. Not far from the village is the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Grazalema (Sierra Grazalema Nature Park)

Like many of the villages and towns in Andlaucia the Moorish influence is very prominent in the construction of the houses and buildings in the village and the most prominent building in the village is the stunning Nuestra Señora del Rosario church which was built in the 17^th century. One of the best features of the church is the Gothic vault which is the only original feature

The main reason however for making the journey to this beautiful Andalucian village are the stunning caves which a located near to the village.

Four kilometers from the village centre are the beautiful Cueva de la Pileta (La Pileta Cave) which was discovered in 1905 by a local farm laborer named José Bullón Lobato The cave was declared a Monumento Nacional de Arte Rupestre (National Cave Art Monument) in 1924. Inside the caves Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age remains have been discovered along with some cave paintings, some of which date from some 20,000 years ago.

However the paintings with the greatest artistic value are from the Solutrense period. These are found in the room called the Santuario (Sanctuary), where the picture of a pregnant mare attracts the most attention, and in the Pez (Fish) room

Then located near to the train station in the village you will find the equally fascinating Cueva del Gato (El Gato cave) with four kilometers of galleries through which the River Gaduares flows.

The fiesta season in the village has two main dates, the first been the celebration of San Marcos which takes place on the 25^th April and the most important celebration takes place on the 7^th October when the village honors the Virgen del Rosario (Virgin of the Rosary), patron saint of the village The people of the village stretch this celebration over 3 days with the highlight of the celebrations being a traditional verbena (street party) which takes place in the main square where everyone is invited to join in the fun which last well into the early hours. If you visit the village at this time you must sample the wonderful pork products for which the village is well known

Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza de San Marcos, 1 (29370). Telephone: 952 167 103; Fax: 952 167 337