What to See in Júzcar: Ten Curiosities That Will Make You Visit This Village in the Serranía de Ronda

Júzcar, known for years as the Smurf Village and today renamed Blue Village, is one of the most surprising destinations in the Serranía de Ronda. This small municipality in the Genal valley hides much more than its striking sky-blue houses. In its surroundings, you can find everything from the birthplace of Spanish ironworking in the 18th century to a deserted Moorish village that still preserves remnants of its past. It also harbors hidden waterfalls, springs that feed the Genal river, curious Easter traditions, and unique geological landscapes. Added to all this is the cuisine of the media-famous 'chestnut chef'. Here are ten curiosities that explain what to see in Júzcar.

On the banks of the Genal, within the limits of Júzcar, lies one of the most astonishing places in Spanish industrial history. There, in 1725, the Royal Tinplate Factory of San Miguel was opened, considered the origin of national ironworking. The site was chosen for its isolation, the abundant flow of the river, the presence of surface iron mines, and the nearby forest wood. Around the factory, a small village was established with almost fifty workers, many of them foreigners, as well as housing, a tavern, and a chapel. Camels were even used to transport materials. Among its curiosities, it is noted that the two Swiss engineers who were chosen to run it had to sneak out of their country in wine barrels to evade the ban on hiring these experts to avoid competition. After its closure in 1788, the site became associated with stories of bandits and smuggling. Today, the restored building houses an organic winery that produces artisan wines and offers wine tourism experiences.

Very close to what was the Royal Tinplate Factory of San Miguel, there is one of those places where history seems to have stopped: the deserted village of Moclón, an ancient Andalusian farmstead whose remains are still preserved in nature. Before the Moorish rebellion of 1570, about eighteen families lived there, most of them dedicated to agriculture. After the conflict that shook the valleys of Genal and Guadiaro, many Moors were expelled and the place was repopulated with Christian families from other parts of Andalusia. Over time, however, the small nucleus would end up losing population until it was abandoned. Today, you can still see old houses, an old hermitage, and even a bread oven, remnants of that small rural settlement that today is reached on foot through a very popular path.

In Júzcar, a Marian legend also survives, so common in Andalusian tradition. The story goes that a shepherd found a small image of the Virgin among some mastic branches near the deserted village of Moclón. He decided to keep it in his bag to take it home, but upon arrival, he found it had disappeared. When he returned to the place of discovery, the carving reappeared there, as if it wanted to remain in that enclave. Since then, it is considered that this was the place chosen by the Virgin. Today the image is venerated in the church of Santa Catalina and at the beginning of each summer, a pilgrimage is held in her honor.

In Júzcar, one of the most unique traditions of Easter in the Serranía de Ronda is also preserved: the Garden of the Child. On the eve of Resurrection Sunday, the neighbors go out to the fields to collect branches, plants, and vegetables with which they build a small symbolic hut or garden in the village. Inside, the image of the Child Jesus, previously taken out of the church, is placed. The next day, the Virgin goes out in procession to search for her son, and the encounter that symbolizes the Resurrection takes place. In Júzcar, the day is also completed with another very popular tradition: San Rorro, a friendly doll that is displayed those days and that is part of the peculiar festive imagery of the municipality.

With a name as suggestive as it is unsettling, the Sima del Diablo is one of the most surprising natural spots in the area of Júzcar. This enclave was discovered and named just a few decades ago by members of the Pasos Largos association, who were surprised by this hidden spot in the Genal valley. It is a small ravine formed by a succession of waterfalls and jumps that feed a tributary stream of the Genal river. The largest of these jumps reaches about ten meters in height. Due to its characteristics, the place has become one of the most popular settings in the Serranía de Ronda for beginners in canyoning, as it combines accessible sections with several rappels that provide just the right dose of adventure.

A short distance from the urban center of Júzcar springs one of the most appreciated springs by the villagers: the Birth of the Zúas, a water emergence that constantly feeds the valley and that many locals consider one of the true sources of the Genal river. Although traditionally the official origin is marked as the spring in Igualeja, in reality, the Genal is formed thanks to the confluence of several watercourses like this one. The Zúas river, far from being a simple stream, is in fact one of the main contributions to the Genal and maintains a notable flow throughout the year. This spring, located very close to the urban center, is a place especially cherished by the people of Júzcar, who consider it one of the natural jewels of the municipality and the starting point for several routes that run through the old mills and river landscapes of the valley.

A few meters from Júzcar is the area known as Los Molinos, a corner of the valley where for centuries several hydraulic mills operated, taking advantage of the flow of the Riachuelo stream, a tributary of the Genal river. Even today, constructions linked to that activity and an old stone bridge are preserved, helping to imagine the importance that this small rural enclave had. This place is also the course of one of the most popular hiking trails in the municipality, a circular route called precisely Los Molinos. It is just over a kilometer long that crosses the river environment and leads to the nearby Birth of the Zúas, allowing the discovery of some of the freshest and most surprising landscapes of the valley.

Another curiosity that attracts attention in this village is the area of Los Riscos. Located between Júzcar and Cartajima, it is one of the most unique geological landscapes in the Serranía de Ronda. It is a karstic complex of eroded rocks that sometimes resembles the Torcal de Antequera. This stony labyrinth hides whimsical shapes shaped over centuries by wind and rain. The most famous is the Eagle of the Riscos, a large stone that seems to draw the profile of this bird of prey and has become a symbol of the area. Although until last year, there was a trail to tour this enclave, currently, access is restricted as it is largely on private lands, so today its contemplation is reserved for viewing from afar.

For more than five years, Júzcar was known worldwide as the First Smurf Village, after its houses were painted blue in 2011 to promote the movie The Smurfs 3D. However, in 2017, the municipality officially lost that designation after the agreement with the company managing the rights to the characters created by Peyo was terminated. Far from giving up the color that made it famous, the village has opted to reinvent itself as Blue Village, a tourism project that seeks to enhance its natural environment, its history, and its fauna and flora, while maintaining the appeal that for years put Júzcar on the international map.

One of the prominent names in the cuisine in the interior of the province of Málaga is Iván Sastre, known as the chestnut chef, who for more than two decades has been based in Júzcar, where he runs the Bandolero hotel and restaurant. This chef from Ávila has been one of the leading culinary promoters of the chestnut from the Genal Valley, a product to which he has dedicated much of his gastronomic creativity. Among his most famous creations is the 'Copper Forest' dessert, a tribute to the autumn of Genal that can be enjoyed all year round and has helped to consolidate his restaurant as one of the gastronomic references of the Serranía de Ronda. Additionally, in recent months he has become a very followed character on social media thanks to his recipes with edible leaves and flowers and other ingenious creations that has garnered thousands of followers.