Located in the westernmost part of the province of Málaga, where it borders the the province of Cádiz you can find the beautiful Andalucian village of Cortes de la Frontera. In the area you will find the stunning Los Alcornocales (170,000 hectares) and Sierra de Grazalema (50,000 hectares) Nature Parks which makes this village a wonderful place to visit.

The landscape surrounding the village is covered in large forests of cork oaks which add to the magnificent setting for this village

The village dates back to the twelfth and eleventh centuries B. C., when the Phoenicians arrived in this area . There were also Tartessians who had already established themselves in the area

Theere is still evidence of these ancient cultures to be found in the area as well as evidence of the Roman and Moorish eras.

It was however in the seventeenth century. where the modern village began life and it was during this period that the village began its cork industry which is still central ro the village economy even today
The village itself has three three centres of population,a rather uncommon occurance in Andalucia.

The the main population centre, is Cortes de la Frontera and there is also El Colmenar and La Cañada or Estación de Cortes

In the village you will find some stunning buildings and monuments like the parish church and the Cortes the Casa Consistorial or Town Hall which was constructed in the village under orders from Carlos III

Other notable buildings include the Nuestra Señora del Rosario church which dates from the late eighteenth century and can be found in the centre of the village

An interesting building is the Casa de los Valdenebros (Los Valdenebros house), also known as the Casa de las Tetitas (Las Tetitas house), which was owned by a soldier who received a noble title and dates from 1763 One of the most interesting features of this building is a subterranean passage that connects with the old Valdenebros chapel, which has a façade somewhere between baroque and Mudéjar that was built in 1760.

The village is also home to Tthe largest bullring in the Highlands except for that of Ronda .It dates from 1894 and was restored in 1921. It is a very impressive bullring which is almost 30 metres across, The village has such a large bullring due to the intensive livestock industry in Cortes.

There are also two older structures in the village which include the Casa de Piedra (Stone House) whichdates from the sixth and seventh centuries., it was built by the primitive method of excavating into a huge rock, a truly remarkable task considering the time On the other hand the

The thirteenth century Torre del Paso (El Paso tower) was erected to watch over the Gaucín-Ubrique road through the El Espino pass.

Nearby to the village you will find La Sauceda and the Las Buitreras gorge, which are located adjoining the El Colmenar neighbourhood,

La Sauceda is fully equipped for camping,

Las Buitreras on the other hand is more difficult of access but is worth the effort so that you can enjoy an astonishing spectacle: the channel of the River Guadiaro confined between walls more than 100 metres high.

For those interested in the Roman era, the traces of the town of Saepona are just 28 kilometres away and the ruins of Cortes el Viejo (Old Cortes), is located only two kilometres from the village i overlooking a long stretch of the River Guadiaro.

The area is very popular with walkers and hikers and there are many many routes to choose from, there are three that experts in this sport especially recommend.

One starts from the village and goes towards Llanos de Líbar. It is two hours long and the going is easy.

The route from La Sauceda to Peñón del Buitre (Vulture Rock) is of medium difficulty. The trail goes through heavily wooded areas and the estimated duration is two hours.

The trail from La Sauceda to Pico del Aljibe (El Aljibe peak) is also of medium difficulty but longer (four hours). In this area the forest is very dense and there is a risk of getting lost, so reasonable precautions are recommended to prevent any mishap.

Information on these and many more can be obtained from the tourist information in the town hall.

Between the 23rd to 27th of August the village holds a fiesta in honor of the patron saint San Roque and San Sebastián, with a programme that includes competitions, dances, a livestock fair and most importantly the release of the “toro del aguardiente” (bull of brandy), one of this locality’s most popular traditions.

The fiesta in honor of the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of Cortes, is celebrated in early July and the Horse Pilgrimage a few days later.

The El Colmenar neighbourhood holds its patron saint fiestas in the last week of July and La Cañada observes its own, in the first week in August, so it can be seen that the summer is prodigious in festivities in this municipality

It is well worth the visit to this area which is some of the most beautiful landscapes in Andalucia


Tourist Information: Town Hall, Plaza Carlos III, 1 (29380). Telephone: +34 952 154 000; Fax: +34 952 154 342

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