Naming Andalucia
January 4, 2008 – 9:24 pmTravelling across Andalucia this holiday season - and yes, it is still officially holiday season until the last of the Three Kings has left the territory - I was reunited with my fascination for place names. Wherever I travel around the world I am intrigued, and often amused, with the names that flash by me on road signs, and here is no different.
Southern Spain’s Arabic roots show up in so many names. Take Málaga province’s Benalmádena, for instance, with Ben meaning “son of” and “al madena” denoting a “miner”. Or how about the popular “Gudal”? That originates from the Arabic for valley. We have therefore the Guadalhorce Valley and the Guadalquivir River, for example.
I’ve been to Pedregalejo, a beach just east of Málaga City on the Costa del Sol, many times, but only just recently found out the name means “a distant rocky patch”. A “pedregal” in Spanish describes a rocky area. That was blended with “lejos” or “far away” to point us right over to that rockiest of all Málaga beaches.
Some place names around us here in Andalucia come from words easy to find in any dictionary - take Granada (pomegranate) for example, or the towns of “Cabra” (goat) or “Aldeaquemada” (burnt village) in Jaen province.
And I really couldn’t leave Jaen alone without dissecting “Despeñaperros”. What an awful name! It translates roughly as “de-cliff the dogs”, in other words, “throw the enemy off the cliffs”and I’m never quite sure whether that refers to the Christians vs. the Moors or vice versa.
On a lighter note, I’ll never forget the day I was listening to a regional traffic report and “Gota de Leche” came up. Couldn’t help smiling at that one, and trying to imagine myself explaining to people that “Yes, I’m from “Drop of Milk”. If I remember correctly, that’s somewhere in Seville. Then there’s “Trasmulas” (behind the mules) back in Granada. Think of all the stories that must be behind these names…
2 Responses to “Naming Andalucia”
Is there a comprehensive list of names and there meanings for the Andalucia region?
When exploring places their name can give a great historical starting point. For someone with an artistic eye it can be a helpful tool to introduce humor and charactor to an image.
By manicwind on Jan 7, 2008
Hi there Manicwind,
Well, I do believe there is a comprehensive guide - at least I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know if it is still in print.
Apparently a Spanish friend of mine’s grandfather has a sort of encyclopedia of all the place names in Spain that explained each name’s meaning and history. We’re trying to track that book down - trying to figure out exactly who inherited the book!
In the meantime, I plan to keep an eye on the Spanish book market to see if anything like that is available today.
By Brenda on Jan 7, 2008