Cártama

History

The strategic position that Cártama holds, on a natural route from the coast to the interior, made it an obvious place to settle. The area has been successively occupied by Iberians, Tartessians, Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Byzantines and Arabs until it was finally conquered by the Christians in 1485. It was one of the last Moorish strongholds to fall to the army of King Ferdinand the Catholic. The Phoenicians, who were already established in Málaga, made incursions to the interior via the river. They gave the town its first recorded name, Cartha, which means "concealed city" or "hidden city". Later, the Romans renamed it Cartima, founding the town in 195 BC, and providing it with strong defences. The Roman occupation lasted for six centuries, and during this time it was one of the principal towns of the province. Based on the sheer volume of archaeological sites – mosaics, sculptures, burial grounds and road remains have been found – the area must have been heavily populated. The baths of Cartima, with their fabled curative powers, were famous during this period.

Geography

Situated in the heart of the Guadalhorce valley, at the foot of two small sierras, and surrounded by thousands of orange and lemon trees, its territory forms part of the Hoya de Málaga, from the provincial capital. It stretches across both banks of the river. From its main vantage point, the Hill of the Virgin, can be seen the different communities which make up the town: Cártama Pueblo, the ancient town with a 3000-year history and streets laid out in Moorish style; Estación de Cartama, which has its origin in the 1865 railway station; El Sexmo, Doñana, Aljaima and the Sierra de Gibralgalia, with views of the whole valley as far as Coín, Álora, Casarabonela and Málaga itself. The original town, Cártama Pueblo, stretches across the steep side of the Hill of the Virgin (240 m over the sea level). Its buildings and roads follow the contours of the hill, and reflect the varied topography of the area. One of the town's most well-known features is the iron bridge (the "green bridge" or puente verde) over the Guadalhorce river, and which provided access between Estación and the pueblo before its replacement by a more modern road bridge. This area has been restored as a recreational area, and an extensive riverside leisure area is now planned.

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-03-17
  69 km SSE of Fuengirola, Spain
• M 4 — 2026-02-13
  3 km S of Cortes de la Frontera, Spain
• M 4.4 — 2025-12-05
  3 km ESE of Fuengirola, Spain
• M 4 — 2021-10-19
  8 km W of Villanueva de San Juan, Spain
• M 4.6 — 2021-08-12
  2 km W of Santafé, Spain
• M 4.3 — 2021-01-28
  2 km NW of Santafé, Spain