In Almería
Why not take a trip to Roquetas del Mar
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Roquetas del Mar
Roquetas de Mar is a popular, but relatively new holiday resort located on the Costa Tropical in the province of Almeria, which is situated in the autonomous community of Andalusia.
History
Once a traditional fishing town, in 1967 Roquetas de Mar was designated a National Tourist Amenity.
The old coastal town dates back to Roman times and although now offers many modern facilities, it still retains much of its old charm with its labyrinth of narrow cobbled Moorish streets.
You will also find the old medieval tower Castilla de Santa Ana and the 17th century restored church of La Virgen del Rosario, home to a magnificent altarpiece depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. In fact dotted along the coastline visitors can visit the remains of several interesting 16th-18th century fortifications.
Facilities
Roquetas de Mar is a good destination for young families and retirees alike with lots of facilities to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable. There is even a mini train that takes you around the resort. If you enjoy an active holiday then you will be satisfied here, with a myriad of activities on offer such as golf (at Playa Serena), horse-riding, aquatic sports, bird watching and lots of sightseeing opportunities.
There are also lots of great places to eat out in Roquetas de Mar; the small marina has plenty of tapas bars and excellent seafood restaurants to enjoy during your stay.
Roquetas de Mar Beach
The 3km coarse sand beach is never crowded and is backed by an attractive promenade. There are many water sports facilities in the area – water-skiing, jet skiing, fishing and yachting – however take care as the sea can sometimes get quite rough. There is also an allocated nudist area along the beach.
Natural area
The whole area is designated a National Park and five kilometres south of Roquetas de Mar you come across the Las Marinas salt marsh, an outstanding natural area and a haven for flamingos, little egrets and avocets. Further along, Punto Sabinas is a bird watchers paradise.
Local Festivals
Each year from the 23rd August to the 1st September Almeria celebrates its local feria (fair) in honour of Our Lady of the Sea. Open air dances and performances, sporting competitions and a traditional Flamenco Festival in the Plaza Vieja promises much fun into the early hours of the morning.
Climate
Roquetas del Mar enjoys a perfect all-year round Mediterranean climate, as does the whole of the Costa Almeria. In the sub-tropical environment temperatures rarely fall below 18ºC. During the summer months the temperature rises above 30ºC and July and August can get much hotter, dropping again around mid-September to a milder, but still warm and enjoyable 23ºC-27ºC degrees. The winters are mild and mostly dry, although the winter evenings can get chilly.
Roquetas de Mar enjoys a Mediterranean sub-tropical climate; warm, with moderate temperatures in winter and reaching 40ºC in the summer. The light has great intensity all year round but is especially aglow from April through to November.
City News
The Fifth Mojácar La Vieja Excavation Campaign Begins: an Open Door to the History of Eastern Almería
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Mojácar Mayor Francisco García Flores, along with Noemí Linares and María Gracia Alarcón, the Councillors for Culture and Tourism respectively, accompanied by the project director José María Martín Civantos, as well as Jorge Rouco and Pedro Gurriarán, an architect specializing in heritage restoration, visited the works being carried out at the Mojácar la Vieja archaeological dig.
In this fifth campaign, the second within the general research project, 30 archaeologists from all over the country are working. They will remain in Mojácar until the 15th of this month when another group of 40 archaeologists will replace them on the dig until the end of the works planned for 2023, scheduled to finish at the end of September.
Jorge Rouco Collazo, an INCIPIT-CSIC researcher, director of the PGI, and the excavation campaign, will be present throughout the campaign, as well as José Maria Martín Civantos, University of Granada MEMOLab coordinator. Additionally, the project has the collaboration of the University of Exeter Institute of Islamic Archaeology in the UK through the presence of Cristina Martínez Carrillo, who is doing her doctoral thesis, and the collaboration of the CSIC Institute of History for the study of archaeobotanical remains, with the presence of Antonio Peralta Gómez, also doing his doctoral thesis.
The Mojácar Mayor, together with his councillors, toured the entire archaeological site, learning first-hand about the relevance of Mojácar la Vieja in the history of Muslim Spain in the area and in Eastern Almería, as well as the importance of the discoveries being made as the excavations progress. Among the matters discussed at the foot of the site, the planning of the expected steps in the future and the possibility of requesting assistance and collaborations with regional and national administrations stand out.
Although only a few days of excavations have passed, various ceramic pieces have already been found, and the first settlement in Mojácar is taking shape. It is important to remember that the archaeological site is open to the public, not only for visiting and asking any questions that may arise, but also, and most importantly, for participating in the works the specialists are carrying out and being able to be an archaeologist for a day or for the time considered appropriate.
Within this open and participatory character of the excavations, the workshops being held to find out about the history of the locality and its surroundings stand out. Among them are an archaeological ceramics workshop, interactive games about Mojácar la Vieja, washing in the fountain the old way, drawing and painting days, as well as different guided tours of the archaeological site.
City News
The Valparaiso Foundation Cedes Land to Mojácar for the La Vieja Archaeological Site
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“Mojácar Mayor, Francisco García Cerdá, and Beatrice Beckett, President of the Valparaíso Foundation, have signed an agreement to transfer the land owned by the foundation located on the site of Mojácar la Vieja. As a result of this agreement, the Local Council will be able to carry out all the actions aimed at the consolidation of the site.
The contract signed between the Council and the foundation, lasting 50 years, represents a major advance and a notable boost to the Mojácar la Vieja excavation works. It will allow for the expansion of the collaboration framework with other entities, including the state, the possibility of accessing official and private financial assistance, and, among other matters, creates the guarantee of solidity and commitment to the continuity of the works that are being carried out at the site. This important agreement opens up new lines of work for the next excavation works. That corresponding to 2023 will start next month.
Thanks to the transfer of this land, and with the cession of other local minority owners of the Mojácar la Vieja hill, Mojácar Council plans to initiate the request for assistance and collaborations from higher administrations, both at the state and autonomous community levels. Mojácar la Vieja is currently included in the 2022-2025 General Research Project, which allows for having a conservation, maintenance, and management plan for the site that gives access to facilitating the highlighting of the importance of the site, increasing its promotion among residents and visitors. As of today, and within this framework of the 2022-2025 General Research Project, Mojácar la Vieja annually receives an important team of archaeologists, national and international, who continue the investigation work on the site that began five years ago.
In 2018, Mojácar Council started, thanks to the University of Granada and Memolab (Biocultural Archaeology Laboratory), the first exploration, adaptation, and research work on the Mojácar la Vieja hill. With these actions and thanks to the exhaustive work carried out by the archaeologists from Granada, the historic and cultural value of the site was uncovered, making important advances in each campaign, both from the point of view of their finds and in its strategic positioning in the field of archaeology and in the study of these first Islamic settlements in eastern Almería. The Mojácar Mayor thanked Beatrice Beckett and the Valparaíso Foundation for the support received over all these years on the Mojácar la Vieja project, of great relevance for the municipality and for the historic studies of the province, and especially for the confidence received with this important step of the cession of their land located in a part of this archaeological zone.
The Valparaíso Foundation is a cultural foundation of national scope, dedicated to the patronage of activities in all artistic disciplines. Beatrice Beckett founded, together with her husband Paul Beckett, the Valparaíso Foundation and the Artists Residence after arriving in Mojácar in 1964 and in 1972 acquiring the estate where both projects are located. Every year in Mojácar Valparaíso hosts artists from different disciplines from all over the world, among them theater, music, painting, photography, sculpture, and literature. With the aim of promoting culture in Mojácar, which has always been a place of artistic inspiration, the Council has for years been collaborating with this foundation, a collaboration which maintains its continuity over time and under which new actions are not ruled out.”
City News
Maria Flores Fernández Winner of the Mojácar Saint Augustine 2023 Festivities Poster Competition
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The winning poster for the 2023 patron saint festivities in honor of Saint Augustine has been unveiled in the Mojácar Council Plenary Hall. This poster, selected through a competition organized by the local authority’s Festivities Department, will serve as the official image for the upcoming celebrations.
Twelve entries were submitted for the competition, and the organizing jury narrowed it down to three finalists. The ultimate winner was determined through social media and popular vote. María Flores Fernández, an 18-year-old native of Mojácar with a deep connection to her hometown, emerged as the competition’s victor with her artwork.
María actively participates in various activities and cultural events in Mojácar, including playing the saxophone in the Municipal Music Band. Her passion for graphic design led her to pursue studies at the Superior Design School in Murcia next term. With her winning poster, María aimed to strike a balance between tradition and modernity, preserving the essence of the festivities while appealing to younger generations.
The winning artwork, created using digital techniques, boasts a strong composition and a clear message. The official presentation of the poster was attended by Mojácar Mayor Francisco García Cerdá and Festivities Councillor Jesús Montoya, who expressed their gratitude to all participants for their high-quality submissions. They acknowledged the difficulty of selecting the finalists due to the outstanding quality of the entries. The winning poster will soon be displayed throughout the municipality and in the festivities book, showcasing María’s talent and capturing the spirit of the upcoming celebrations.
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