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BETWEEN
LUXURIANT UMBRELLA AND ALEPPO PINE TREES APPEARS THE TOWN
OF MIJAS, WHITE AND IMMACULATE ON THE SKIRT OF THE MOUNTAIN
OF THE SAME NAME. MIJAS HAS DESERVED THE PSEUDONYN OF MIRADOR
OF THE COSTA DEL SOL.
From the Arab gardens of La Muralla (remains
of the old fortress) built by Abdalaziz in the eighth century
and later reinforced by Abderraman III, the visitor´s
pupil will contract, victim of the luminosity that the blue
Mediterranean distils from the sun.
 A
few steps away from the unique landscape of La Muralla is
one of the few irregular shaped bullrings to be found in
Spain (built in 1900) and close by, the church of the Immaculate
Concepcion, built over the remains of an old Arab mosque.
Further down is the Plaza de la Constitucion (Constirucion
Square), in which centre is a beautiful fountain carved
from the marble blocks that came down from the mountain
in the 1884 floods.
The coastal towns of Fuengirola and Benalmadena can also
be clearly seen from the esplanade called El Compás,
that spreads before the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña,
Patroness fo Mijas.
It is a sanctuary carved in the hard rock by the monks of
the Order of our Lady of Mercy in 1520, after the conquest
by the Catholic Monarchs. Tradition has it that it was around
here where the Virgin appeared to two shepherds and since
then, an image of the Virgin is witness to the passing fo
time in her sanctuary with a door of wild ivy; to where
the prayers and pleas of a faithful and believing people
are directed. 
White passages.
However, the tracing of the Mijas streets awaken in the
visitors a special sheltered feeling. They are its special
monument. The streets and houses of El Barrio, taken from
Andalusian pictures, whisper kindness while the ceramic
and weaving craftsmen and the goldsmiths offer their wares
to be seen.
 These
scenes may be enjoyed from the back of the famous "Burro
Taxi", which makes a complete circuit of the most important
and typical corners of the village.
This obliging friend will take us up to the Calvario Hermitage,
situated on the crown of Mijas, or we can choose to walk
up the Camino del Calvario to the sanctuary. This possibility
follows the via crucis that the locals celebrate on Holy
week and which crosses the village centre.
The chapel stands among luxueiant pine trees where the Carmelite
monks had their retreat in older times. The shining whiteness
of the facade breaks the comfortable green of the surrounding
vegetation, offensively standing out. Without a doubt, the
place, and the village in general were well chosen by the
civilisations that inhabited this "white spot",
where quiet reigns and isolates from the busy world. Therefore,
many important people and foreigners have moved their place
of residence and way of life to this quiet place, like modern
day monks.
 The
most famous legend is the one telling of the apparition
of the Virgin in the place called El Compás. There,
the present Patroness of Mijas appeared to two shepherds
(Asunción and Juan) and she was declared Patroness
of the village on the 8th of September, 1682. Since then,
this day is commemorated by taking the Virgen de la Peña
on procession and her sanctuary, excavated into the rock,
is filled with visitor´s votive offerings.
The remote militay enclave of Mijas was the rearguard and
granary of the nearby Fuengirola. To sight the enemies,
pirates and smugglers on the 14 km. of Mijas beaches, four
beacon towers were built: Calaburras (1515), in La Cala,
Torre Vieja and Torre Nueva (nineteenth century). But the
lighthouse of the Calaburras points is the one that has
survived time as a witness. Since 1862 it guided sailors
with their olive oil, in 1925 with petroleum and from 1945
onwards, the lighthouse saved the night ships that dared
to sail at untimely hours from crashing into the rocks.
 Don't
forget to try the Maimones, garlic and tomato soup, cachorreñas,
gazpachuelo ( a soup of Arab origins), salmorejo, buñuelos
(light airy cakes), churros tejeringos and hornazos (fried
sweet dough).
Specialities which you can enjoy in the numerous restaurants
serving local food to be found along the village streets.
The geographical extension of this shining village also
translates into a great number of tourist offers. Mijas
has views, folklore, legends, history, beaches, a water
park and of course, golf.
Basic data
Size: 142.40 Km²
Population: Approx. 20,000
Residents known as: Mijeños
Monuments: Plaza de Toros, Sanctuary of the Virgen de la
Peña, Church of the Immaculate Conception, La Cala
de Mijas
Geographical situation: On the western Costa del Sol, 30
kilometres from Malaga. The town itself is 428 metres above
sea level.
Tourist information: Municipal Tourist Office. Plaza Virgen
de la Peña. 29650. Mijas Pueblo.
Phone: 952 589 034 Fax: 952 589 035
Fiestas
There are numerous festivals in Mijas throughout the year.
Apart from the annual summer Feria in honour of the Virgen
de la Peña, which takes place in Mijas Pueblo, there
is the festival in honour of Nuestra Señora de los
Remedios (Barrio de Santa Ana); the romerías of San
Antón in January, of Valtocado in April and of Osunillas
in June. The night of San Juan and Corpus Cristi are important
festivals here too, and one of the most interesting for
foreign residents and visitors is the Día Internacional
de los Pueblos, in which many foreigners take part. La Cala
and Las Lagunas have their own festivals and romerías
during the summer months.
Gastronomy
The large number of foreign residents in Mijas has resulted
in a cuisine that is truly international, with restaurants
from the five continents in the town. But the most traditional
dishes of the area are similar to those of other small towns
in the region, with plenty of wholesome products from the
local soil and sea. The people of Mijas make excellent pastries
too.
The torres vigias interpretation
The Torreón in the Cala de Mijas has been converted
recently into a Museum of the Sea and Torres Vigías
Interpretation Centre (in the understanding rather than
language sense). Inside the Torre Batería we can
find the Sala de las Torres, the Sala Torrijos and the Sala
de Pesca tradicional (traditional fishing). The first tells
us all about the origin of the towers and the history of
coastal vigilance. The Sala Torrijos shows panels and original
material on the subject of General Torrijos’ landing on
the beach at Charcón, in Mijas. The Sala de Pesca
Tradicional is all about fishing at La Cala, and here we
can see how the industry developed from the distant past
to the present day, along with related activities. Another
interesting part of this tower is the rooftop, from were
one can see the towers of Calaburra and Calahonda by means
of a visor installed on the roof.
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