Church of La Encarnación de Benaque

It dates from the eighteenth century. It is a water trough which it belonged to the Palacio de los Gálvez, the birthplace of Bernardo de Gálvez, Born in 1746, he was a prominent Spanish politician and military figure who played a leading role in the American War of Independence. The fountain features a bust of this favourite son of the town, who did so much to ensure the prosperity of the town and its inhabitants.

A brick shrine comprising two rectangular sections, erected in the late 17th century in memory of the Gálvez family and their donations.  To this small shrine or wayside shrine the locals call it «Calvario», because that was where the Stations of the Cross were held during Holy Week.

Benaque is a small hamlet situated 2 kilometres from Macharaviaya. In the surrounding area, we can visit the house where the poet Salvador Rueda was born on 2 December 1857, which he himself would describe in one of his poems as a «humble home». The poet’s birthplace It is a house where the poet’s personal belongings have been preserved almost exactly as he left them.

Salvador Rueda He undertook a poetic renewal in Spain, very similar to that carried out by Rubén Darío in Latin America. His works are notable for their colour and musicality, as expressed through new rhythms and original combinations, drawing on a wide variety of themes, particularly those relating to the natural world and the geography of Andalusia.

Built in 1785 by the Gálvez family and intended as the family burial place. It is situated beneath the church of San Jacinto y Its size is surprising, just like that of the church itself. In the mausoleum the remains of Don José de Gálvez and his wife are buried there, as well as other members of the family. There are also several anonymous statues of family members.

This church It was rebuilt, for the second time, in the 18th century on the site occupied by the previous one, a monument built in 1505 on the orders of Diego Leza, Archbishop of Seville, and prior to the town’s foundation in 1572. Two centuries later, it was rebuilt under the direction of José Ortega Monroy and Miguel del Castillo sponsored by the the Gálvez family and with the profits from the Royal Playing Card Factory.

The church’s design is based on a Latin cross plan a single-nave church, with the transept standing out in silver and in elevation. Inside, it is well worth taking a look at the doorway and the crypt-mausoleum which is situated beneath the church and contains statues of members of the Gálvez family, the town’s principal patrons during the eighteenth century.

The Macharaviaya Playing Card Factory was owned by the Gálvez family, comprising five siblings who took part in the American adventure. This opened up a channel of communication between the New World and the municipality, to the extent that it became known as the ‘Little Madrid’. The Gálvez brothers, particularly José and Miguel, were the patrons behind the establishment of the Royal Playing Card Factory in Macharaviaya, who They tried to establish a major driver of development in their home town. The contractor responsible for the construction and commissioning of this major Enlightenment project was the Italian engineer and businessman Félix Solesio.

The Royal Playing Card Factory of Macharaviaya is situated in the centre of that town, on Calle Real, next to the parish church of San Jacinto. It is situated along that street, on the left-hand side, on the same side as the church. The surroundings of the playing-card factory are exceptionally beautiful, as it forms part of a typical townhouse from the Age of Enlightenment.

The Royal Playing Card Factory of Macharaviaya held a monopoly on this product for sale in the Americas two centuries ago. Production stood at 30,000 decks per year, made from a special type of paper which was initially sourced from Barcelona and Genoa, although, a few years later, the paper began to be produced in Benalmádena. However, with regard to that production, some experts claim that the majority of it He never reached his destination, which is why the decks would spend months in the ports of Cádiz and Málaga, where they would eventually rot due to the damp. And the decks that were unloaded in the Indies were of such poor quality that they did not justify the high price charged for them, as they were considered a luxury item