The municipality of Villanueva de Tapia is on the eastern edge of the Antequera region, on the border of the provinces of Granada and Córdoba. Its topography is barely disturbed by a few hills that introduce a certain variety to the landscape. Only in the southern part, with the El Pedroso mountains (1,025 metres) in the background, does the terrain attempt to turn rugged but is not entirely successful because, after all, these notable heights are harmoniously incorporated into the cheerful surrounding landscape.

In the mountain district the plant cover is made up of pines and low brush and there are even a few old live oaks, remnants of the vanished greenery of long ago. Most of these lands, however, are devoted to olive groves and grain fields. The latter crop is especially abundant on the fields closest to the province of Córdoba.
Ruins of Roman and Arabic construction show that both civilisations were established in this municipality but those widely scattered archaeological sites do not provide enough information to form even a minimal time line for the history of Villanueva de Tapia. Its first documents appear in the sixteenth century and refer to some lawsuits between the localities of Iznájar (Córdoba) and Archidona. Surely taking advantage of the confusion arising from the distributions made after the Christian conquest, both were claiming the territory of present-day Villanueva de Tapia.

The situation of being pushed and tugged between one municipality and the other soon gave rise to the name El Entredicho (“In Question”) being used to refer to the area that generated this conflict of interests between Archidona and Iznájar. This term appears in a sixteenth century document that is preserved in the Municipal Archives of Iznájar. As it seemed that the dispute was never going to end the Royal Treasury had to intervene, and its counsellors ruled on 20 June 1602 that El Entredicho would become part of the Patrimonio Real (Crown Property).
The Crown’s lack of liquidity led to Felipe III’s decision to sell at least a part of its less productive lands, and among those unproductive lands was El Entredicho. The property was bought by a member of the Supreme Council of Castile, Pedro de Tapia, under whose patronage the village now known as Villanueva de Tapia began to take shape in the seventeenth century.

Outstandings Visits:
The architecture and urban layout of Villanueva de Tapia reflect the customary characteristics of villages in this area of Málaga. A few eighteenth century façades and other unusual construction stand out in the village’s historic district, helping make a visit to this village very interesting to a traveller.
The Virgen de Gracia hermitage, in the park of the same name, follows the traditional canons of popular architecture. In its interior is preserved a painting of the Virgen de Gracia (Virgin of Grace) that is of some artistic merit.
The San Pedro Apóstol parish church, built in the early seventeenth century, was extensively modified in the eighteenth century and even more so in the late nineteenth century, when its façade was rebuilt. Its interior has two naves and is notable, architecturally speaking, for the wooden roofs and the choir room. The church also contains several sculptures of great artistic interest, such as the Immaculate Conception from the seventeenth century and the images of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Our Father Jesus of Nazareth) and of the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), both from the eighteenth century and both very venerated by the Tapienses.

The church archives, which are considered to be among the most complete in the province, deserve special mention. They preserve registrations and baptismal and marriage books from since 1626, besides other kinds of Episcopal documents, censuses and testaments.
In his tour of the village streets, the traveller may view the former San Bárbara inn, also known as Casa de la Cantina, which is one of this locality’s oldest buildings; the early eighteenth century Los Allalantes fountain that was restored not long ago, and the San Antonio laundry shed. The last-named site is one of the few constructions of this type that has been preserved in this part of Málaga and is of greater anthropological than architectural value.

How to Get There:
From any place on the Costa del Sol, go to Málaga via the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340). In the provincial capital, take the route for Antequera-Granada-Sevilla-Córdoba by way of the A-45 (N-331) expressway. Just before arriving at Puerto de Las Pedrizas get into the right lane in order to continue towards Granada via the A-359 (the signs are very clear). When you get to the multiple intersection at Estación de Salinas get onto the A-333, which leads straight to Villanueva de Tapia.

Interesting Facts:
Surface Area: 22 square kilometres
Population: about 1,700
What the natives are called: Tapienses or Entricheros
Monuments: the Virgen de Gracia hermitage, San Pedro Apóstol church, the old San Bárbara inn, Allalantes fountain, and the San Antonio laundry shed.
Geographical Location: in the north-eastern part of the Antequera region. It is one of the places that make up the sub-region called Nororma (acronym in Spanish for Northeast Málaga). The village is 660 metres above sea level and is 67 kilometres from Málaga. Average precipitation in the area is 750 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is 16º C.
Tourist Information: Town Hall, Avenida de la Constitución, 50 (29315). Telephone: 952 750 179; Fax: 952 750 273