Cartama has existed since Phoenician
and Roman era, and its municipal boundaries stretch
from the sierra of the same name to the banks of the
River Guadalhorce, most of the area within them being
devoted to agriculture, notably olives, fruit and
vegetables.
Monuments of interest include St. Peter’s Church
and Virgen de los Remedios Chapel, the latter, built
on the site of a former mosque, attracting pilgrims
from all the region.
History
Phoenicians settled alongside local tribes and gave
the settlement the name Cartha, meaning hidden place.
The Romans later christened the village
Cartima - fortifying the location which - standing
atop a rugged hill 427 metres in height, provided
a magnificent natural vantage point offering views
of part of the Guadalhorce Valley to the north. The
Roman town of Cartama was one of the most important
in what's now the province of Malaga, already enjoying
official town status in 195 B.C. Cartama was important
during the Moslem occupation, given the strategic
nature of its location and the fertility of the surrounding
land. The Arabs renovated and rebuilt the fortress,
turning it into one of the finest military bastions
in the area. It was captured by troops under the Catholic
Monarchs in 1485. This conflict was immortalised by
the Mozarabic wood carvers responsible for the bas-reliefs
which adorn the choir of Toledo Cathedral, which can
still be seen today. Within the municipal boundary
stands the district of Casapalma, once the property
of the Count of Casapalma, until an 1811 decree saw
it added to Cartama.
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