Vélez-Málaga

Place in Málaga, Spain

Vélez Málaga (ˈbeleθ ˈmalaɣa) is a municipality and the capital of the Axarquía comarca in the province of Málaga, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the most important city in the comarca. Locally it is referred to as Vélez. Vélez Málaga is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Municipalities of Costa del Sol Axarquía. The municipality forms part of the Costa del Sol region. Vélez Málaga itself is a market city and "bustling market town and supply centre for the region's farmers", 4 km inland from Torre del Mar but unlike the coastal resort not dominated by the tourist industry.

The Church of Santa María la Mayor, Gothic Mudejar style, was built on the old Arab mosque, as shown by the minaret turned into a bell tower. At present it is the headquarters of the Museum of the Holy Week of the city. The other great church of Vélez is the Church of San Juan Bautista, that occupied another one of the existing mosques. It was built in 1487, although it was modified in the 19th century. The sacristy is due to Martín de Aldehuela. The tower and the roofs are Mudejar while the cover is in the neoclassical. The Church of San Francisco, also occupies the site of a mosque and is Mudejar Renaissance style. It was founded by the Catholic Monarchs and built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Originally it was part of the Real Convent of Santiago, disappeared on the occasion of the confiscation of 1836 and of which only the church has remained. The Convent of the Claras (seventeenth century), of late Baroque style and rococo ornamentation, are notable; The Convent of the Carmelites (1699), of baroque style and manierista cover; The disappeared Convent of the Carmen, of which only the church is conserved converted into municipal theater; And the hermitages of San Cristóbal or the Remedios (17th century), that of Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza, located next to the cemetery, and that of San Sebastián (1487), which is in ruins. It is also noteworthy in the new area of expansion of the city, popularly known as the Barrio, the Church of San José that was built in 2007 and which came to replace a small chapel that was erected canonically in 1971 in Linares street It is worth mentioning the votive crosses of the city, initially four, but only two are preserved: the Cross of the Lamb and the Cross of San Sebastián, built after the Castilian conquest in each of the gates of the city. Another notable building is the Camarín de la Virgen de la Piedad, from the 17th century, located on Las Tiendas street. These signs of devotion were typical of the city. Another is conserved in the Royal Gate of the Villa, in honor to the Virgin of the Desamparados, named for being the place where during the French invasion occurred several executions of sailors. Also, a small mihrab of Arab origin is preserved in a private house in the neighborhood of La Gloria, as well as remains of some ancient Arab baths in the same area. One of the few stupas of Spain is in the nucleus of Triana: the Kalachakra Stupa. It is a contemporary construction of 13 m of height, but of a type of stupa unusual. It belongs to the Karma Guen center, dedicated to the great lamas of the Kagyu lineage in Europe. Finally, it is worth mentioning the hermit complex of Almayate, a settlement of a religious community where there are several cave dwellings excavated in the rock of which was an old Mozarabic church of the 8th and 9th centuries, as well as other works in stone. It is estimated that the settlement began as a result of the first pagan persecutions in Andalusia.

Fortress of Vélez Málaga: also called castle, is crowning a hill that dominates all the old part of the population. Together with the so called Puerta de Antequera, it was almost completely destroyed during the French invasion and its remains used as quarry. It has recovered the tower of the tribute and improved its surroundings. It has been used as a royal house, captain general, jail and town hall. Walls of Vélez Málaga: of the old walled set are conserved some sections and two of the four original doors: the Puerta Real and the Door of Antequera. Castle of Torre del Mar: only some sections of the wall are preserved in houses attached to the castle in the 19th and 20th centuries. Casa Fuerte del Marqués: also called Castillo del Marqués. It is located in Valle Niza and was built in the 18th century with a defensive purpose. It is composed of a semicircular bastion attached to a hornabeque. The interior is distributed around a rectangular courtyard. Formerly it was surrounded by a moat. At present it houses a hotel school. Lookout towers: from what used to be the ancient defensive cord of the coast, several towers remain: the Torre Gorda in Benajarafe, the Tower of Chilches, the Tower of Lagos, the Right Tower of Mezquitilla and the towers Manganeta and Jaral, both in Almayate.

The municipality's boundaries include some 25 km of coastline. The Vélez River is the significant watercourse.

Almayate, Benajarafe, Cajiz, Caleta de Velez, Chilches, Lagos, Mezquitilla, Trapiche, Triana, Torre del Mar, Valle Niza, Vélez Málaga.

Barrio del Pilar, La Villa, Pueblo Nuevo de la Axarquía "Carabanchel", La Gloria, Capuchinos, Barrio Barcelona, Carretera de Arenas, Camino de Algarrobo, Camino viejo de Málaga, San Francisco.

The most important event of the year is the Royal San Miguel festival, held at the end of September and the beginning of October each year. Other festivals celebrated include the Veladilla el Carmen, Santiago (St James) and Santa Ana. Semana Santa or Holy Week is also one of the most important dates on the town's calendar. With 19 individual cofradias (brotherhoods) and processions involving ornate floats commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, it's one of the most notable in Andalusia. Vélez Málaga is one of the last places in Europe where public cockfighting is conducted. The town has an active Flamenco music scene centred around its local peña (Peña Flamenca Niño de Vélez) and Flamenco Abierto, an organisation that puts on regular performances across the Axarquía region which has recently attracted the likes of El Pele, Diego Carrasco & Family and Jorge Pardo. Jorge Pardo play a music jazz.

Vélez is currently growing rapidly, with expatriates and immigrants from other parts of Spain appearing in every part of the municipality. Ethnic minority groups include Gypsies, a small Chinese community, Moroccans, sub Saharan Africans, and expatriates from other European Union countries especially Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 2003 there were 2,743 residents who did not have Spanish nationality. Since 1990 there has been a movement, with its own political party, to separate Torre del Mar from Vélez.