Last modified: 2009-11-27 by eugene ipavec
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The municipality of Álora (13,436 inhabitants in 2008; 16,904 ha) is located on a spur 90 m above river Guadalhorce and 195 m above sea level, 40 km north of Málaga.
The valley of Guadalhorce was already settled in the Neolithic, as proved by rocky paintings found in the neighborhood of Álora. The Phoenicians built a small castle on the Álora spur, which was revamped by the Romans. Suppressed by the Wisigoths in the 5th century, the castle was rebuilt in 711 by the Moors and progressively transformed in an impregnable fortress.
Álora was a main target for the Catholic Kings, who besieged the fortress several times but could not seize it until 22 June 1484, in the last years of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. In 1434, the Christian troops were commanded by Diego Gómez de Ribera, the second Great Adelantado of Andalusia ("Adelantado Mayor de Andalucía"). The position of Great Adelantado (aka Great Adelantado of the Border, "Adelantado Mayor de la Frontera") was created in 1396 by King Henry III to protect the border with the Kingdom of Granada and granted to Per Afan de Ribera (1338-1421). This hereditary position remained kept by the Ribera family, of Galician origin and established in Seville in the 14th century, until superseded by the title of Duke of Alcalá de los Gazules, granted by Philip II in 1558. Diego Gómez de Ribera succeeded his father in 1423 and was killed during the aforementioned siege of Álora.This event is recalled by the poem known as "Álora la bien cercada" (Well-besieged álora); the poem is a typical border's romancero, orally transmitted from the 14th century until compiled in several anthologies in the 19th-20th centuries. Independent from 1484 to 1487, Álora was subsequently incorporated to the reconquerred town of Málaga. In 1628, Álora eventually seceded from Málaga, "forever."
The town is the cradle of the flamenco style known as "Malagueña," recalled in the town by a monument funded by the municipality and the Province of Málaga.
Sources: Municipal website, Detailed analysis of "Álora la bien cercada" by Tomás J. Salas Fernández, The famous guitarist Sabicas (1912-1990) playing a malagueña
Ivan Sache, 01 Aug 2009
The flag and arms of Álora were approved by the Municipal Council on 30 September 2004 and submitted on 4 October 2004 to the General Directorate of Local Administration, which confirmed them by Decree on 28 October 2004, published in the Andalusian official gazette (Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía, BOJA) No. 220 on 11 November 2004.
The relevant parts of the Decree are the following:
Coat of arms: Gules a castle or masoned and port and windows azure, flanked dexter by a lion contourned or crowned langued and armed of the same, leaning against the wall. The shield surmounted with a Royal Spanish crown closed [detailed description of the crown omitted].Flag: Rectangular panel, red, in proportions 2/3, with the smaller side placed along the hoist. On the flag panel, at 1/3 of its length - from the hoist - are placed the charges shown on the heraldic coat of arms, yellow with the port and windows of the castle blue, with proportions 3/4 of the flag hoist.
The symbols should be registered on the Andalusian Register of Local Entities, with their official written description and graphics (as originally submitted, but unfortunately not appended to the Decree).
Source: BOJA, No. 220, p. 26,148, 11 Nov 2004
The municipal website adds that the process of adoption of municipal symbols was decided by the Municipal Council on 30 November 2000 (Decree published in BOJA on 27 April 2001). The memoir susbstantiating the proposed symbols was presented by Fernando Sánchez, who found that the municipality of Álora had used arms for centuries; accordingly, it was deemed legitimate to reinstate these arms in their traditional design.
Source: Municipal website
The small image of the flag shown on Wikipedia is directly cropped from the municipal website.
Ivan Sache, 01 Aug 2009