AT PRESENT THE VILLAGE OF OJÉN REPRESENTS THE SURVIVAL OF THAT AUTOCHTHONOUS AMID THE COSMOPOLITANISM OF THE COSTA DEL SOL. OJÉN IS A STEP AWAY FROM THE BLUE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE GREEN OF THE SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES, WHICH IT GUARDS AS JEALOUSLY AS THE VILLAGE SECRET: ITS LIQUOR.

We travel along the road that leads to the village of Ojén from the old road that links with Marbella. Soon we will want to stop the car to capture the image. A cubic and white spot sunk amongst a green thickness where the true flavour of the villages of Andalusia is still kept. Once inside its maze of streets of Moorish origin, we can seek the vantage point that situates us facing the Mediterranean and the diamond of the Costa del Sol, Marbella.Behind us, an extensive greenness which, along with Sierra Blanca, is the portico of the Sierra de las Nieves, a protected natural park which was declared Reserve of the Biosphere. To the east, the Sierra Alpujata claims our attention, with its jagged slopes.

 

Ojén in History
This village of the province of Málaga contains not only a beautiful landscape, but also some unusual facts. There are references of primitive settlements in this area from the Middle Palaeolithic and the Neolithic, marks of which were found in the Cueva de Pecho Redondo. The Costa del Sol was densely populated in Roman times, thus it is thought that in this area there were livestock and agricultural exploitations that provided for Marbella.
But Ojén entered the pages of history for the first time through the "Chronicle of the Feats of the Cordovan Emirs". This text tells of the battles of Abderraman III againts the Málaga Renegades concentrated in Bobastro and led by Omar Ben Hafsun. These rebels held fierce battles on different fronts of the province of Mñálaga during the 10th Century. One of the battles took place by the walls of the Castle of Hoxán (rough place in Arabic), then Ojén.
Victory led the caliph to order a mosque built in this area, at present where the parish church stands.

Once Christianised, in 1569, another Mozarab rebellion set fire to the castle, the remains of which can barely be seen above the village. According to the British chronicler Francis Carter (1722), Ojén is "a village pleasant, simple people, who do not know tea or coffee, but who enjoy goat's milk in their clay cups". What this untiring traveller did not know was, that a century later, its inhabitants would begin to enjoy one of the most famous liquors of Spain, the Aguardiente de Ojén.

Half a glass of Ojén
It could be that to drink Ojén in full would be counterproductive, because the recomended dose was "half a cup.../ of Ojén". After setting music to this cadence of words, many Spaniards knocked on the doors of houses with this tune, as the Aguardiente de Ojén soon became a true national phenomenon. So much so, that the Málaga painter Pablo Ruíz Picasso immortalised it in one of his most Spanish paintings. The still life comprises a bottle of that much appreciated liquor on which the word "Ojén" can be read, three glasses, a section of the Barcelona newspaper La Publicidad, an inkwell, a fragment of a letter and a ticket for a bullfight with the words "sol y sombra" (sun and shade) with the colours of the Spanish flag. Seemingly, this was a moment when Picasso wrote to his parents who were in Barcelona from a café while he had half, one, two or three glasses of this anis; but this is a detail that is only supposed.

The creator of such famous alcoholic potion was the local Pedro Morales. Around 1830 he founded in his village a small factory in which only Ojén grapes were used. The liquor, flavoured with local herbs, was heated with juniper wood on a still. When Pedro Morales died, his son continued with the family secret until his death, as he took with him the formula, not leaving it even to his closest family. Later, in 1969, Juan Espada tried to reactivate the factory after analy-sing one of the old bottles. But the result did not achieve the expected quality or flavour, thus the distillery closed for good in 1979.
At present, it holds the Museo del Vino Malaga where, in addition to contemplating the old labels and bottles, the original still is kept. The history and flavour of the different wines of the province can also be found here.

Juanar, palace of kings
When visiting the village of Ojén one cannot help but see some indication that leads us to the Refugio de Juanar, in the heart of the game preserve.
The palace was built by the Marqués de Larios in 1906 as a shelter for hunters, thus began the fame of a unique place in the middle of nature.
In 1965 it became a Parador Nacional de Turismo; although today is exploited by a local cooperative. Among its most famous guests are the king of Spain Alfonso XIII or the ex-president of France and general in World War II Charles de Gaulle, who wrote his memoirs here Its attraction lies in the natural surroundings, the cooking of game, the outdoor activities and total tranquillity. The road that leads there continues up to the Juanar vantage point, presided by a Hispanic goat, very common in the area, and the Cruz de Juanar. There is a spectacular view from here over the western part of the Costa del Sol and the foothills of the Sierra de las Nieves.

Basic data
Size: 84.40 Km²
Population: Approx. 2,000
Residents known as: Ojenetos
Monuments: Church of the Encarnación, the Mill Museum, the Los Chorros Fountain, the Caves of Ojén.
Geographical situation: Between the Sierra Blanca and Alpujata mountains, 10 kilometres from Marbella and 65 from Malaga, at 309 metres above sea level.
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/La Carrera, 5. 29610.
Phone: 952 881 003 Fax: 952 881 216
Places to be visited

Church of La Encarnación (16th century)
The church of the Encarnación was built over an old mosque, the minaret of which survives as the present church spire and bell-tower. Inside there is a single nave with a beautifully decorated timber ceiling.
El Molino Museum (19th century)
This museum is situated on the site of the last aguardiente factory in Ojén. The ancient mill can be worked by waterpower or electricity, and produces one of the most valued products of the locality: olive oil.
Fuente de los Chorros
This typical Andalusian fountain was erected as an emblem of the village’s plentiful supply of water. The water flows from here through channels that date from Moorish times to irrigate the land below the village, just as it was used hundreds of years ago.
Natural surroundings
The mountains around Ojén are heavily forested with oak, pine, cork trees and an area of pinsapo trees, a rare species of Mediterranean pine. There are numerous animal species here too, such as the mountain goat, the royal eagle and the royal owl. One can also see in the area genets, mongoose, polecats and a host of smaller animals. The flora here is especially rich too, with an abundance of medicinal plants, herbs and wild flowers. Along the river Almadán and in the area known as the Charco de las Viñas, one can spot interesting reptiles and amphibians.
Museo del Vino (Wine Museum)
C/Carrera, 39. Open every day in summer from 11 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m., and in winter from 11 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Tel: 952 881 453.
FIESTAS
The Feria in Ojén, in honour of its patron saint, San Dionisio, takes place in October. This event is unique in the way that all the activities, musical and otherwise, take place on the streets and in the town square. Residents and visitors alike gather in the square and dance to the music of the orchestra in the open air. Another interesting festival in the village is the Romería on May 1st, and on November 1st there is the traditional tostón and Romería in the Cruz de "Juaná". Ojén is also considered the capital of Flamenco music in the province of Malaga, its annual Festival de Cante Flamenco taking place in July and attracting the top Flamenco singers and musicians from all over Spain.

GASTRONOMY
The gastronomy of the village is based on local produce such as game, goat cheeses and milk products. Of special importance are the soups, the rice and noodle dishes, the fish and the delicious almond-flavoured gazpacho. Among the favoured game dishes are rabbit in garlic and partridge. Pork products are an essential part of the local cuisine, and there is a wide variety of pastries made in the village.