Outlying districts of Moratalla: Benizar

Spectacular scenery in Benizar attracts rural tourism to the north-west of Murcia

The outlying district of Benizar, in the municipality of Moratalla, is at the north-western edge of the Region of Murcia, and shares a boundary with the province of Albacete in Castilla-la-Mancha. As the crow flies it is only 12 kilometres from Moratalla, but the 32-kilometre drive takes the best part of half an hour.

Those who associate the Region of Murcia with the beaches of the Costa Cálida will be surprised by Benizar and other locations like it: at over 900 metres above sea level the vegetation is distinctly lacking in palm trees and cacti, and the temperature is a good deal cooler than in most of the rest of the Region: snow is common in winter, and the wildlife and vegetation are typical of more temperate zones.

Due in part to the climate the countryside is rich in wildlife and fertile for agriculture, and it is known that Benizar has been home to human inhabitants for thousands of years. This can be deduced from the existence of Levantine and Schematic rock art in the shelters of the “Abrigos de Benizar”, and in the first millennium BC the Iberians and the Romans were also in the area.

However, it was the Moors who did most towards forging the identity of Benizar, giving it its name and building the castle of which some remains still stand majestically placed on a barely accessible hilltop.  Following the expulsion of the Moors in 1243 the castle and the land around it were entrusted to the Order of Santiago, under whose control a certain degree of Moorish influence was allowed to continue.

Nowadays the population of the entire district of Benizar is a little under 1,000 (including those who live in the hamlet of Otos), and the main economic activities are agriculture – principally vines and homemade wine – and rural tourism: there are plenty of country properties which can be rented in this part of Moratalla, as visitors enjoy walks and rides to location such as the Rincón de las Cuevas and the Calar de Benizar.

Arguably the best time of year to visit, though, is during the annual fiestas which are held in early December in honour of Santa Bárbara, which include the running of bull calves in the streets, and to see the atmospheric Procession of Silence during Easter Week. There are also festivities to celebrate San Antón in January, when animals are blessed at a special Mass.

The main social venue in Benizar is the “Local Social”, which in the 1960s contained the only television set in the village: for this reason the road on which it stands is known as “Avenida Teleclub”!

As for the local gastronomy, it features local products such as pork, barley, olives, almonds, apricots, plums and peaches, as well as the local wine and an alcoholic beverage named "chapurrao": this contains aniseed and lemon, and is particularly popular during the cold winter months.