Monda History and Culture

Historical Monda



The El Calvario 18th Century

The town of Monda is situated on the sides of a small hill upon which sits what was once an ancient castle and is now a luxury hotel. The surrounding landscape is made up of olive groves and vegetable plots, contrasting with the small, white houses on the hillsides. The flatter land to the north borders with the neighbouring Coin municipality, while over the hills to the northwest is the town of Guaro.


The history of the place is ancient. One of the most important dates is March 17th, 45 B.C., when Julius Caesar defeated the brothers Cneo and Sexto Pompey in the Battle of Munda. At stake was the Roman Empire, no less, and it survived the great battle in what is now Monda. At the end of the 9th century, when the rebel leader Omar Ben Hafsun led his rebellion, the castle of El Mundat was re-constructed, only to be destroyed once more by the Moorish chief Said Ibn Al-Mundir. The castle was re-constructed again around the 11th century by the Hammudies, and by the 13th century Monda had become an important part of the Moorish defensive structure.


The Captain of the Catholic Monarchs, Hurtado de Luna, captured the town in the early summer of 1485, and he was awarded the governorship of the town. At that time Monda was under the jurisdiction of Malaga, and the remaining Moors were allowed stay on as Moriscos (Moors "converted" to Christianity) until the rebellion of 1501 in the Ronda Mountains, when they were first forced to convert in 1570, later to be expelled definitively. Monda played an important role in the fight against the French in the War of Independece in 1811, the Spanish general Ballesteros leading his guerilla fighters against the forces of Soul, Duke of Dalmacia, from the area. The Castel of Monda thus became an important symbol of resistance.

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