The Riogordo landscape presents a mountainous border of great abruptness in the walls of the Sierra del Rey and in the impressive clefts of the Alto de Gomer. Among both reliefs is the Cueva Río waterway, which descends from the Alfarnatejo plain, giving way to a small valley, which archaeologists have called the Aute valley, for the important Phoenician site found in the estate with the same name. The contrast between the sierra’s walls and the smooth relief of the terrain occupied by cereals and pastures give way to a landscape of great beauty. There is a tradition in skin and leather work, in esparto grass weaving, saddlery, and forging. There are also various oil mills.

Although it is not very large the municipal territory of Riogordo contains three different natural areas that even the most inattentive visitor will not fail to notice. The northern part, the most rugged, is crowned by the Tajo de Gómer (Gómer cliff, 1,129 metres) and the Sierra del Rey mountains with the Castejón peak (972 metres).

There is no doubt, however, that it was during the Arabic domination that this area experienced its greatest growth.

The theory that the Bobastro castle was in the vicinity of the Auta farmstead is held by some historians, who go even further and state that this castle may have been the birthplace of Omar Ben Hafsun, the Muladí chieftain who according to other historians was born in Parauta, in the Ronda highlands.

After it was conquered by the Christians in 1487 Riogordo belonged to Comares, and most of its lands passed into the hands of Francisco de Coalla, regent of Málaga, first Lord of Auta and castle commandant of Comares. Before the conquest, the locality was known as Aprisco de Majianza, and at the beginning of the sixteenth century, it was already being referred to as Puebla de Riogordo. It was during the last part of this century and the first part of the following one that the village doubled its population (from 620 to 1,176), possibly due to the protection provided by Comares

The village’s economic growth and the flow of population to it are shown by the fact that in 1561 the village had three brothels controlled by one Sancho Marroquí, while three innkeepers were in charge of “sheltering in their houses and inns all the women of the street that may go there to earn money with their bodies”.

Riogordo was designated a municipality in 1552 and its first corregidor (magistrate) was Francisco Hernández.

The establishment of vineyards in the eighteenth century again favoured the village’s demographic growth, and according to the census, it contained 2,120 souls in 1787. The population would continue to increase until 1882, when the phylloxera pest broke out and the vineyards were destroyed.

How to Get There

You can choose from three different routes to get to Riogordo. The quickest and most comfortable is the one that leaves the city of Málaga by the A-45 (N-331) in the direction of Antequera. At Casabermeja take the A-356, and you will get to Riogordo after about 18 kilometres.

Another access route also starts in Málaga. This is the A-6103, known as the Carretera de los Montes (Mountain Road) or Antiguo Camino de Colmenar (Old Colmenar Road). When you get to this city, continue on the A-6118 to Riogordo. The first half of this route is an uninterrupted succession of curves that do not allow high speeds. By way of compensation, the landscape through which it passes is extremely beautiful.

If you happen to be on the Eastern Costa del Sol, instead of going to the city of Málaga to get onto the aforementioned routes you can leave the Mediterranean Expressway (A-7; N-340) and get onto the A-335 at Vélez Málaga. You will come to the turning for the A-356 after 14 kilometres, and this leads to Riogordo.