The town and Port of Mazarron is placed in the south-east of Spain, in the Region of Murcia and next to the Mediterranean Sea. The town offers visitors a rich artistic heritage and interesting leisure activities by the seashore. More than 35km of beaches, virgin sandy coves and rocky bottoms, which constitute an ideal place to rest in the sun, practise nautical sports and scuba diving, as well as taste the local gastronomy. The fishing port and the fish market approach the visitor to their fishing tradition. In Mazarron we can find sea, mountain, countryside, a past of sailors, a present of farmers and a future of tourists.
History: The diversity of towns and cultures that have been settled in its territory is due to its geographical situation within the Mediterranean Arch, and specially in the so called Mazarron Gulf. The oldest testimonies of human occupation date back from the Mid-Palaeolithic. But it is the archaeological remains of the Phoenician colonizations, found in the Isla beach (crucial in the submarine archaeology, as from there, part of a Phoenician ship was taken), and in Los Gavilanes, that place Mazarron as the linking point between the Phoenician trade in the Mediterranean. The proximity to Carthago Nova and the sea wealth in the area of Mazarron attracted the Roman colonization. This part of the coast increased its prestige thanks to the producing factories of garum (a kind of dried fish exported around the Roman Empire). By the middle of the 15th century were discovered the alum, the aluminium sulphate and the potassium, which were used to fix the colours in the industry of the textiles, the glass manufacturing and medicines. The 16th century saw the decline of alum production due to the Italian competitors, and the conflicts with Flanders and England. Mazarron found at the beginning of the 20th century an economical development based on the trade market, agriculture, fishing and tourism.
Art and Culture: Close to the lighthouse dock in Mazarron were found the oldest testimonies of human occupation in the municipality, which date back from the Mid-Palaeolithic. The remains of a Phoenician ship discovered in the Playa de la Isla I a treasure in the submarine archaeology. From the 15th and 16th century, we have the defense towers of la Cumbre, los Caballos and el Molinete, which prove the importance of Mazarron and its necessity of controlling the incursion of the Berber piracy. The Ciudad Encantada, (sandstorms modeled by water and wind) is another place to visit. Mazarron emerges 3 km away from the sea. In its urban layout stand out the Mudejar coffering of the Saint Andrews Church, la Purisima convent and the ruins of the Castillo de los Velez. The economical development at the beginning of the 20th century favours the construction of emblematic buildings of the Murcian modernism like Mazarron Council and the Antiguo Ateneo Cultural.
Climate: Temperatures in winter range from 15ºC and 20ºC, and the skies are normally clear, bringing about 2800 hours of sun. There are two reasons to explain the special microclimate in Mazarron. On the one hand, the town is surrounded by high mountains, which stop the north winds from penetrating in the area. The average temperature in the sea is 18 due to the location of the Gulf between Cabo de Palos and Cabo de Gata, which allows the cold currents that enter the Atlantic Sea through the Straits of Gibraltar to pass without affecting the water temperature
Gastronomy: Rice with lobster is the favourite dish within Mazarron's gastronomy. The talvina (made from fish stock, very similar to the caldero of the Mar Menor, but cornmeal instead of rice, and the fish used for the stock is served as a second dish), Mero a la mazarronera ( normally oven-cooked, with potatoes, peppers and tomatos, seasoned with spices and sprinkled with pine nuts and olive oil), Atascaburras or ajo colorao (made with the mozola -a variety of conger eel- tomato, dried red pepper and potatoes. It is normally taken at Christmas and Easter), Fideos con bonito, Lecha a la espalda (this traditional fish of the Mazarron Bay is the Basic ingredient for different dishes, but the most famous one is the lecha a la espalda, oven-cooked, and sprinkled with a sauté of garlic and paprika). The salted fish are famous since the Roman Epoch. During more than 20 centuries the fish is dried in salt and sobered up. The bonito is the most famous; but the albacore, melva, octopus and even the codfish are also salted. The roes of any fish are very nice, especially those of the gray Mollet. The Capellanes are also taken (dried fish, made with codfish, grilled-heated and seasoned with paprika, raw garlic and olive oil). Regarding desserts, the most famous ones are the Torrijas de Bolnuevo, La Tarta de la Novia (called like that because is normally served in weddings. It is made with sponge cake soaked in wine and syrup and liqueurs, decorated with meringue), the Herradura (made with puff pastry and stuffed with cabello de ángel), the mantecados and, at Christmas, the alfajores, the tortas de pascua.
Fiestas: The Milagro Festivals (celebrated in Bolnuevo and Mazarron. The Sunday preceding the 17th November the Patron, La Purísima, is carried from Bolnuevo to Mazarrón, and on the Sunday following the 17th November, it is taken down, leading a procession, to the Ermita de Bolnuevo. It is during this week when many events are celebrated, like the ofrenda floral to the Virgin, processions and religious activities. On Romería Sunday there are Moors and Christians parades, commemorating the Moorish invasion in our coast (which was the reason why the Virgin miraculously interceded, expelling the Argelines from our coast, the night of the 17th November, 1585), the Fiestas Patronales are celebrated on the 19th March, the Saint Jose's Day (during the week before, they celebrate open-air dances, sports activities, a Falla monumental is set in the Port Beach with figures that criticise all the events occurred during the year, and a race of torches). On the 16th July, they celebrate the festivity of the Virgen del Carmen with a Mass at the Fish Market, a religious procession, carrying the Virgin by sea and land, in which dozens of boats participate, decorated with multicoloured flags.
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