In the north of the province of Malaga, on the border with that of Seville, this village stands on a plain at the edge of the countryside, with olive groves as its main natural resource. It boasts two elements of extreme interest to the tourist: firstly, it is home to the grave of Jose Maria Hinojosa, El Tempranillo, the most famous Andalusian highwayman of the 19th century, who died not far from Alameda at the hands of a former accomplice in 1833, and secondly, it features La Ratosa Lagoon, an area protected by the Andalusian Regional Government.
History
The human settlements discovered here are extremely ancient and, according to archaeological remains discovered in the area, date back to the Calcolithic period. Archaeological evidence of Iberian tribes has also been found. However, the best-documented culture in terms of historical relics is that of the Roman era. According to Pliny, the village was then known as Astigi Vetus.
Alameda has not always been part of the province of Malaga; for many years it belonged to the estate of the Marquis of Estepa and, later, to the province of Seville.
The patio of the parish church houses the grave of a famous and much-feared 19th-century highwayman, Jose Maria Hinojosa, better known by the nickname El Tempranillo, who died near the village in 1833, at the hands of a former accomplice.
