The monument to the Moors and the Christians in Abanilla
The statue pays homage to those who take part in the annual fiestas of Abanilla on and around 1st May
In the Plaza de la Purísima in the centre of the town of Abanilla, just a few metres from the Church of San José and the old wash-house, is a monument erected to honour the Moors and Christians, and those who take part in the annual fiestas commemorating the events of the 13th century when Christian forces conquered the Kingdom of Murcia from the Moors.
The Moors had been in control of Abanilla and the rest of what is now the Region of Murcia since the early 8th century (see the history of Abanilla), and every year the town commemorates the “Reconquista” with a large proportion of the population taking place in the main event on 1st May, dressing up in costume and parading as part of the Kábilas and Mesnadas (the Moorish and Christian groups which take part in the festivities).
The stone statue in the Plaza de la Purísima was created by local artist Cayetano Ramírez López.
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