Montejaque is a white village in La Serrania de Ronda
mountains whose urban design bears witness to its
Andalusi past, with steep, narrow streets and whitewashed
houses with Arabic roof tiling; a past that is especially
evident in the upper district of the village. The
lower district, with its modern streets, is home to
Saint Jame's Parish Church.
History
The name Montejaque comes from Monte Sacrum, "sacred
mountain". As a military fortress, it played
an important defensive role in protecting the borders
of the Nazari kingdom of Granada. When Ronda was captured
and the surrounding area subsequently controlled by
the Catholic Monarchs in 1485, Montejaque was awarded
to the Count of Benavente, who was named Lord of Montejaque
and Benaojan, whereupon the 2 villages ceased to be
mere districts of the town of Ronda. Records tell
us that during the revolts instigated by the moriscos
- Moslem converts to Christianity - in the 16th century,
the governor of Montejaque, the morisco Mohamed Idriz,
saw his life endangered by his refusal to support
his rebel brothers, his attitude being rewarded after
the uprising had been crushed with land and an annuity.
Another event in the village’s history occurred
in 1810, during the War of Independence, when the
guerrilla Jose de Aguilar led 240 men from Montejaque,
Benaojan, Atajate, Cortes de la Frontera and Jimera
de Libar to victory against near 600 French foot soldiers
and 80 cavalry at the bridge over the River Gaduares.
Montejaque is also famous for having played host to
generations of young Spaniards receiving their Advanced
Pre-military Training.
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