The time: The period of Moorish rule between the 14th and 15th centuries.
The place: The region of Antequera, Málaga.
This natural mountainous formation, named ‘La Peña de los Enamorados’ or ‘The Lovers’ Rock,’ carries a ghostlike quality. The gothic element is very much present in this mountain chain, also known as ‘The Indian Mountain,’ due to its shape. From different perspectives, it can be seen to possess the characteristics of a Native American or, frankly, of Spain’s former dictator Franco. Whether you notice ‘Franco’s nose’ while looking at it, like this Redditor who posted about it, or you just see an undefinable anthropomorphic appearance, one thing is certain… This offputting sensation of the ‘weird’ and the ‘uncanny’ is exactly why this habitat has drawn Málaga’s attention for years, becoming an object of local folklore with several subsequent legends attached to it.
Now imagine two people living in the neighboring towns of Málaga and Archidona. In the latter lives a soldier called Tello who becomes imprisoned due to religious conflict. The former, that is the region of Antequera in Málaga, is the home of Tazgona, daughter of the leader of the town and a Moorish princess. The two, as if written by fate, fall in love and despite Tazgona’s father’s strict orders, she frees him for them to be together. As with many other examples of forbidden love and family disobedience throughout the folklore of different cultures, they had to face the consequences of their actions. Inevitably, the Arab troops tracked them down and followed them in a ‘man-hunt’, which ended fatally. Reaching a dead end, in the form of a cliff, they had two choices: to live and part with one another, or cease to breathe. Exemplarily, for everybody who would sacrifice anything for love, they threw themselves off the cliff. Had they chosen life, would we be here, talking about them still?
Another monument that was dedicated to the subjects of this tale is a statue in Plaza Castilla, illustrating their climactic fall off the cliff while embraced. This legend is where the peak of the mountain received its name, the Rock of the Lovers. Mentioned by Christopher Columbus himself, who compared a Cuban mountainside to the beauty of Los Enamorados, it is understood that though morphologically unusual, this sight made its mark and remains truly unmissable to this day. Its grandiosity makes it visible from several angles. You can spot it from the A-45 road and from the Malaga-Granada AVE high-speed train line.