In the vicinity of Moclinejo The Hoya de los Muertos and the Cuesta de la Matanza are well worth a visit. They were the the scene of the defeat of the Christian troops by the Adelantado of Antequera in his attempt to wrest these lands from the Arabs.
According to some historians, the name Moclinejo is derived from the Arabic word "Moclin", which means "place of district".
The municipality of Moclinejo, in the Axarquía region of Málaga (Costa del Sol), was the scene of a historic event of great significance in the course of the conquest, which gave its name to the Hoya de los Muertos or Cuesta de Matanza. In 1483, Mulay Hacen was dethroned from Granada and took refuge in the castle. The Arabs' provocative attitude upset the Christians, who tried to teach him a lesson, but the Arabs attacked with force from above and decimated the Christian army. The triumph gave Mulay Hacen great prestige.
Later, once it had been incorporated into the kingdom of the Catholic Monarchs, Moclinejo is experiencing something of a boom thanks to the cultivation of its vineyards; but these were destroyed following the phylloxera plague of 1878, which began in this municipality and later spread throughout the rest of the province of Málaga.