Igualeja

Approaching Igualeja along the road which leads off the San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda highway near the Sierra de las Nieves, the traveller is met with a superlative view of the Genal Valley, as it is here, at the entrance to the village, that the river which flows through one of Andalusia"s most spectacular valleys has its source.

Another interesting feature of Igualeja is that legend and tradition combine here to produce the figure of the generous highwayman. Zamarrita, Juan el Nene, Flores Arrocha and Pedro Flores, all born in Igualeja, all bandits or outlaws who commited violent crimes, are seen from the point of view of legend as mythical characters who protected the weak from the oppression of those in power.

History

During the Arabic occupation, Igualeja belonged to the cora (region) of Takuranda.
Following its conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the village became part if the Infante Don John"s estate under the jurisdiction of Ronda. When Don John died, the village was inherited by his widow, upon whose death it was taken over by the Crown until finally gaining municipal independence.
Igualeja"s name appears to be derived from the fact that, after the expulsion of the moriscos (Moslem converts to Christianity), the Christian colonists who replaced them shared out the former occupants" land equally, in Spanish "por igual".