Shopping and Sightseeing in Cartajima
With
a population of just over a hundred, Cartajima is a fraction of the town it was
a hundred years ago when there were about 1500 residents. Young people leave now
for lucrative jobs in tourism or construction on the There
used to be several bars and shops but just two bars and a couple of little shops
remain. In
the square below the hotel on the left of the yellow postbox, is an “estanco”
run by Marie Carmen whose husband, Juan, is the clerk in the Town Hall, the large
building opposite the church. Marie Carmen sells candy and tobacco and bits of
stationery. Next
door (the house with the postbox) is where Catalina lives. She is the mother of
Juan the postman and you will never meet a friendlier person. She loves having
visits and welcomes visitors warmly. If you need to post something, push the door
open and ask Catalina or her daughter Joaquina. Juan
the Post lives in Ronda buts comes every morning to distribute the mail. Descend
the steep road on the right of the postbox, turn left at the next corner and you
will find a little shop (no sign!). Until recently this was a bakery with a wood-fired
oven but the owners have become too elderly to continue. Bread in brought in now
from elsewhere and they open in the morning about 9 am, close for siesta from
about 2 – 6 and are open in the evenings. They welcome visitors. This is run by
Juan the Town Hall’s parents. On
Calle Ancha – the wide street lined with orange trees
with the school at the end – about half way down on the right hand side is a “cien
pesetas” or “veinte
duros” (the equivalent of one hundred pesetas). These
cheap stores are to be found in every Spanish town and village and they sell a
remarkable array of just about everything. If they don’t have what you want, they
will go to Ronda to get it for you! And
that’s it for commercial enterprises apart from the two bars
which more on the Dining page. Not one of the businesses mentioned above has a
sign outside so you have to push doors open and ask. As
for sightseeing, the church is our only monument. The original foundation was
built in 1505 shortly after the “reconquest” of this
area from the Islamic people who lived here since 711. It is uncertain whether
there was ever a mosque here or not but the church would certainly have been built
on top of it. Severe damage was inflicted on the church during the Civil War and
it was rebuilt in the 1950’s. If you would like to see inside and it is locked,
just ask me and I can take you to get the key from Asuncion
who looks after the church. |