Mojácar is a small (72 km2) but beautiful town in Spanish Andalusia. Mojácar belongs to the province of Almeria and is located 90 km from the capital city of Almeria. The city has a population of about 7000 inhabitants.
The south of Mojacar, located on the coast, is called Mojacar Playa.
History of Mojácar
A bit of history. The history of Mojacar begins in the Bronze Age (ca. 2000 BC), when the Phoenicians and Carthaginians under Greek rule founded a settlement here and named it Murgis Akra. It was from here that the modern name of the town, Moxacar, and later Mojacar, were derived in Latin. The Moors seized power in Spain in the 8th century and the entire province of Almeria was ruled first by the Caliphate of Damascus and later by the Umayyads of Córdoba.
Mojacar was forcibly converted to Christianity through bloody battles in 1435 and it was not until 1488 that Mojacar became fully Christian. Nowadays, Mojacar in Spain is a tourist town and is one of the 20 listed as one of the most beautiful villages in the country (Los pueblos más bonitos de España).
A trip to Mojacar
I travelled to Mojacar from Almeria. So, early in the morning I bought a ticket at the bus station and got on the bus. When I got on, the driver asked me: “Is Mojacar a village or a beach?” “Sure, the village,” I answered. If you are not strong in Spanish and the driver asks you: “Pueblo o playa”, don’t hesitate to answer “Pueblo”.
It was July. It was only an hour and a half, but the driver turned on the air conditioner to such an extent that by the end of the journey I couldn’t get a tooth out. My German neighbour, who was also going to discover the beauties of Mojacar village in Spain, was turning blue with cold. 🙂
So, got off the bus, hoping to get some warmth at least on the street. But it wasn’t! It was quite fresh outside and it started raining just in 5 minutes. Of course I didn’t have an umbrella with me (how could it rain in Almeria in the month of July?).
Near the bus stop there was a small market with some fruit and vegetables and souvenirs. I thought I would check it out on the way back, but by the time I got back, the market was already closed.
The road leading into town goes all the way up from the bus stop.
The first street along the way was called “Calle de Fuente” (Fountain Street). I personally dubbed this street the Mojacar Gate, as already here the beauty began.
The water in the fountain comes from an underground natural spring whose existence is mentioned as early as in ancient Arabic texts. The fountain itself was constructed in the 20th century and was slightly modified in the 1980s.
Around the fountain many locals take water in bottles. I also took a drink of water, which turned out to be very tasty, and continued on my way.
Already approaching the centre of the village of Mojacar in Spain there is a place where there was an ancient cave called Mariquita la Posá with a beautiful legend about the girl Maria and an old mage alchemist who lived here during a time of severe plague. There is also a view of the town from this cave.
The main square of Mojacar in Spain is the centre of tourist life. Souvenirs, cafes, a market place, a tourism office. In the centre of the square is the flower-decorated symbol of all Andalusia – the Indalo (man holding the sun). The locals say the Indalo is supposed to protect and bring good luck.
The Indalo is a late Paleolithic rock painting first discovered in 1868 by the Almeri archaeologist Manuel de Góngora y Martínez. The value of this rock art was so great that in 1924 the image was declared a national historical monument and in 1998 it received UNESCO World Heritage status.
I picked up a map at the tourist office but never opened it. It takes 2-3 hours to walk around the city of Mojacar completely without a map, without missing anything. The streets of Mojacar are very beautiful: snow-white houses and bright flowers: crimson, blue, yellow. By the way, the houses in the province of Almeria were painted in white in order to better reflect the sun and therefore it was not so hot. Many houses have unusual and very beautiful names: “grandmother’s house”, “jasmine house”, “half-moon house”.
As I walked around the streets, the rain finally stopped and the “normal” Andalusian summer began. I warmed up very quickly and even thought it was better with rain. 🙂
Went out to the observation deck, which offers a stunning panorama of the city and the mountains.
Casa de la Canana museum
Next I visited the Casa de la Canana ethnographic museum, which reconstructs the life of the locals of Mojacar from the 70s. Some of the interior items are from as far back as the 30’s and 40’s. While the girl was explaining everything to me, telling me about the museum, some Russians came by, and the man I was buying tickets from at the entrance, started speaking in clear Russian.
It turned out that the museum was set up by a Russian family who came to Spain from Moscow many years ago. They thought for a long time about what they could do to get a work permit as quickly as possible and decided to create a museum. They collected all the exhibits from friends and acquaintances. They lived here on the first floor.
We liked the museum. It struck me that Mojacar girls used to have to cover their chins with a kerchief, too, by biting the edge of the kerchief. I can’t even imagine – walking around all day holding something in your teeth. 🙂 The poor…
Casa de la Canana Museum is located at Calle Esteve 6 (you can’t miss the museum).
The cost of admission is €2.50.
Opening hours: 10.00-22.00. The break (don’t forget the siesta) is 2.30pm to 6pm.
By the end of my walk, I finally and irrevocably fell in love with the city of Mojacar in Spain. After walking around all the streets and taking a million photos, I decided to walk to the beach. There was still plenty of time before the bus. Alas, I overestimated my strength. I mean, I would have got there, but there were no people around, and there were bushes where the road ended. I did not risk to go there.
Mojacar photos
Useful information about Mojacar
Where to stay?
Booking.com offers 34 accommodation options in the city with prices starting from €50 (Hostal El Palmeral).
How to get to Mojacar?
To see how to get to the provincial capital of Almeria, read here: How to get there by bus from Almeria airport.
