Árchez - Tourism Axarquia

It is one of the smaller villages in the Axarquía region of the Costa del Sol, situated in the valley of the Turvilla River and on the slopes of the the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges.

The maze of its streets and the architecture of its whitewashed houses forming picturesque spots, bestow upon Árchez, described as the 12th century Merinite jewel, a unique hallmark. Of the collection, particular mention must be made of the Alminar Tower (13th century), adjoining which the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation was built. It is the finest example of the Arab culture, which has been designated a national historic and artistic monument.

For lovers of legends, we recommend a visit to the Doña Fidela’s Mill which is situated in the Turvilla river basin, next to the village. It was once an oil mill, but is now a family home located in the village centre itself. It is said that many years ago a local resident bought it and, whilst carrying out renovation work, discovered a jar full of gold and silver coins.

Its minaret, a 14th century Almohad jewel

Árchez still has a minaret, which used to be part of its mosque and now serves as a bell tower attached to the Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation.

This minaret is a 14th-century Almohad architectural gem. Its red-brick tower is the only surviving Nasrid gem; it has a square structure and stands 15 metres high. The brickwork of the façade features ornamentation in the form of stylised plant motifs, similar to the symmetrical ‘tree of life’ motif, with four branches on each side and other, more abstract motifs that are difficult to identify, both painted in black.

The 20 April 1979 it was declared a National Heritage Historic-Artistic Monument, is well preserved and is one of the best examples of Almohad architecture.

The Legend of the Lizard

One legend is based on the relief that a lizard He mentioned this whilst one of the bells intended for the Mudejar bell tower was being cast. This bell bears the following inscription: “I was cast by Don Ramón Rivas, whilst Don Ildefonso Tomé y García was parish priest and Don Antonio García Azuaya was mayor. Year 1876.”

The image of the lizard, trapped within the metal and thus immortalised in bronze, gave rise to the legend surrounding the bell. It is said that any young man who cannot find a partner can free himself from his single status if he climbs up to the bell and kisses the eerie reptile. In some cases, doing it once will be enough, whilst in others it will need to be repeated until the desired result is achieved.