I made this scenic travel photograph at sunset in the village of Ronda, province of Malaga, Spain, during a two-week private photo tour with a client.
People have lived in the area around Ronda since prehistoric times. The town itself was founded by early Celts in the 6th century BC. The current town is of Roman origin and in the 2nd century BC received the title of city from Julius Caesar. Many centuries later, Ronda was conquered by the Islamic Berbers and served as the capital of a small kingdom. Islamic domination of Ronda came to an end in 1485 when the city was conquered by the Marquis of Cádiz.
Ronda was heavily affected by the Napoleonic Wars and the Spanish Civil War. Ernest Hemingway is believed to have modeled a story in ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ after events that occurred in Ronda.
The Puente Nuevo (‘New Bridge’) is one of three bridges that span El Tajo gorge, the deep canyon dividing the town. Building the bridge started in 1751 and was completed in 1793. It towers 120 meters (390 ft) above the canyon floor. The chamber beneath the central arch has been used for a variety of purposes, including a prison. During the 1936-1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the gorge.
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