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 Aguilas
This town stands on
a coastal area of 35 km, under the surveillance of its beautiful
castle of San Juan de las Águilas and on the southern-most tip of
the region. This municipality has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic
age, and many other cultures, including the Argaric, Phoenician,
Roman and Moslem people, have left their vestiges here. Of particular
interest are the Roman remains, especially the baths, which date
from the 1st to 4th century. As
a modern town, Águilas was born of the enlightened thought of
Charles III and his ministers Aranda and Floridablanca, who sought
a port for the export of the agricultural products of the river
plain of Lorca, and Águilas was the natural departure point for
the entire region. The new town, with its rectilinear layout,
became a commercial enclave on the up, reaching its zenith in
the 19th century with exploitations of silver, lead and iron and
the construction of the railway line and the pier of El Hornillo
by British companies. Nowadays, Aguilas conserves its seafaring
tradition and its deep-rooted vocation as a tourist resort.
Of the town's
monuments, the Town Hall is of particular interest; it
is a neo-Mudejar building from the 19th century, located in the
Plaza de España, with age-old gardens and an old fountain dominated
by a swan, popularly known as "the turkey on the pond". The square
is surrounded by a few Modernist buildings, the 19th-century church
of San José, which contains the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows,
who is the patron saint of the town. The historical quarter still
has the atmosphere of the seafaring quarters, dedicated to fishing,
and is crowned by the castle-fortress of San Juan de Águilas.
This tower-fortress was built around 1579 for defence reasons
and was later rebuilt in the 18th century. In the Paseo de Parra,
there is a monument to the railway, proof of the importance
this means of transport once had for the population.
Besides its wealth
of monuments and archaeology, Águilas has a coastline with many
points of interest. Thirty-five coves, rocky promontories that
stretch into the sea and beaches of fine sand. The coves of Cala
Reona, Calabardina, Calacerrada, El Arroz Beach and El Hornillo
Beach, are places where the protagonist is the countryside, still
untouched in places. Indeed, the town has two protected natural
areas: the Regional Park of Cabo Cope and the Protected Countryside
of Las Cuatro Calas. The very centre of the town has beaches,
such as that of Las Delicias. And nearby, opposite the breakwater
of El Hornillo, lies the Isle of El Fraile, a small island covered
with rocky slope sea bottoms and seaweed colonies for the special
enjoyment of divers. These are joined by the interesting sea bottoms
at the foot of the Crag of Cabo Cope. East of Águilas, in the
municipality of Lorca, is a coastal area of enormous interest,
where we find Puntas de Calnegre - literally Blacklime Points,
so-called after the dark colour of the rocks. Together with Cabo
Cope, Puntas de Calnegre has been a Regional Park since 1992.
This is one of the least frequented areas of the coast, with clean,
sandy beaches and crystalline waters. The Points end at the sea
in high cliffs, between which lie the beautiful coves of
Baño de las Mujeres, Siscal and Cala Honda.
The Mediterranean
climate of Águilas, with almost no rainfall, 3,200 annual hours
of sunlight and average temperatures of 25.2ºC make this place
ideal for nautical and sub-aqua tourism. Everything the denomination
of Águilas offers (Villa Náutica (sailing village)), has been
designed for visitors to get the most out of their stay. Sailing
cubs, diving clubs with light sailing boat courses, cruises, diving
courses, hire of material, monitors and qualified teachers, tourist
accommodation, apartments, hotels and camp sites, etc., all at
the disposal of those who decide to pay us a visit. |
