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The countryside surrounding Almachar provides a landscape of gentle slopes completely covered by vineyards except for the occasional tiny hamlet from which stand out the barns used to dry raisins. Almachar is situated at 26 kilometres from Malaga and 24 from Velez-Malaga. It has a population of around 2,200 and stands at a height of 250 metres. As with El Borges, the houses of this town cling to the sides of the valley, that of the River Almachar, giving it a Moorish air, with its steep, narrow streets and the many flat roofs of the houses. The oldest part of the town cor­responds to the lower section, close to the river. The outstanding building in Almachar is its Church of San Mateo, a 16th-century construction combining Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar elements, though the interior also con­tains two Baroque alcoves. The tower, Mudejar in style, is an interesting ex­ample of a tower-portal.

As in other towns of La Axarqufa, the Morisco inhabitants during the 16th century, jealous of their customs, which their new Christian rulers wish­ed them to change, began to abandon their homes. A local legend holds that Morisco rebels hid their treasure in a cave under the village fountain before they were expelled. Another attributes the salvation of the crew of a boat ship­wrecked on the coast of Malaga to the intervention of the patron saint of Almachar, the Christ of the Green Band, or of Misericord. The feast day of the patron saint is on the first Sunday of May, whilst a fair in honour of the Virgin of Protection takes place from 29-31 July

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