Mijas has restored and enhanced one of its most emblematic elements: La Puente, a structure located in the historic centre of Mijas Pueblo, between Calle Coín and the old path of Fuente del Algarrobo, whose exact construction date is unknown. but of which there are documents in the Historical Archive of Mijas prior to 1780. “We have beautified the gardens that embrace La Puente, we have restored the infrastructure and we have installed artistic lighting to enhance it at night”, summarized the mayor of Mijas, Josele González (PSOE), last Saturday 12th during the inauguration of these works that began in January this year. The mayor recalled that it is only a first intervention: “we are preparing, with the involvement of the family that owns this property, to recover a commitment that the Local Council of Mijas had with them to create a museum as an interpretation centre, intended to value the grandmothers of Mijas, the women of Mijas, who form an absolutely indispensable part of the history of our town”.

For the councillor for Historical Heritage, Laura Moreno (PSOE), the rehabilitation of La Puente is a reason for personal satisfaction due to the symbolism it has for the town. “It is very important from my point of view, that this legislature can end with La Puente restored; It is a tremendous pride, more than anything else, because the project has meant a lot of work and has been waiting for a long time until we were granted permission to restore it. Later we had to see the viability of the project as such and that at no time could La Puente give way because there was danger that it would not be in optimal conditions to be able to restore it”.

In this restoration, which the company Chapitel has undertaken and in which the council has invested 28,000 euros, various departments within the Mijas Town Hall have worked with the aim of enhancing the area, which was degraded, turning it today into a new attraction for tourists. “It is a small project that did not entail large works, and in which it has not been necessary to make a great economic investment, but it means a lot for the Village of Mijas and it also increases the value of this entire area, which was a bit degraded and becomes another attraction in our municipality that is added to those we already have, especially in Mijas Pueblo, which has a great cultural, archaeological and patrimonial wealth", said the councillor for Operative Services, José Carlos Martín (Cs).

The event was attended by members of the Ferrer family, owner of the estate, which made possible the transfer of La Puente to the Local Council, as well as neighbours and members of the corporation, who did not want to miss the inauguration. “It is a project that started with us; when Ángel Nozal was mayor. After many years, he managed to sign an agreement with the Ferrer family to make La Puente available to all the residents of Mijas with the commitment of being able to rebuild it”, said PP councillor, Lourdes Burgos. For her part, the spokeswoman for Podemos, Esperanza Jiménez, stated: “We are glad that Laura Moreno fulfilled the promise that she made as soon as this mandate began. We hope the second phase will arrive soon and the question is: why did it take so long to restore La Puente?”.

Family transfer
The government team thanked the owners for their predisposition to make possible the restoration of La Puente, a structure that once belonged to Juan José Ferrer's grandmother, Josefa Gutiérrez de la Cueva, whose name appears on a commemorative plaque that is installed next to the property and was also unveiled on Saturday. “She was the owner of this property, we inherited it and when we donated it to the Local Council. The only condition we established is that there be a reminder of her and we are very grateful that this is the case, that her working memory is perpetuated, her affection for the village, effort and capability and it is not only a reminder of her effort, but of that of other women who fought so hard for this village to be where it is today".

After the inauguration, a plaque was unveiled next to La Puente that mentions its former owner Josefa Gutiérrez de la Cueva and includes Eduardo Martínez's sonnet. The plaque also includes the sonnet ‘The rebirth of La Puente’, written by professor of Constitutional Law and poet, Eduardo Martínez, who, together with Ferrer and the mayor of Mijas, participated in the opening ceremony. “The sonnet is the rebirth of something that existed and that ceased to be active and was very dear to Mijas. The sonnet, precisely for me, is a kind of phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes”, said the writer, who confessed that he was “very sad” when he would walk past La Puente, knowing that it was not even possible to walk through it; hence he composed the poem.

Thorough restoration
The Department of Historical Heritage has been one of the main responsible parties in this rebirth. In the words of the head of the department, Juan José de la Rubia, “it was a structure that was propped up, with a mesh on top, it had many external applications over the years of layers of lime and layers of mortar, additions of pieces that did not corresponded with the original structure. The idea was to remove all those foreign elements that did not belong to La Puente and proceed to stabilise, consolidate and restore the missing parts”. All this, while maintaining the original stones, “only in some moments has it been necessary to replace some of the stones, which, as in all restoration processes and as marked by restoration standards, we can always identify and see because they look different and have a different texture to the original ones”, added De la Rubia.

This recovery has brought many memories to the residents of the area, who recall what this passageway was like decades ago. “There was a house on top of La Puente and an elderly person lived there; There was a 'chilindro' on the patio that fell to the street and many things that remind me of my childhood ... I also used to bathe here because a little further down there was a pool and we would wash there, while everything happened around us. People who lived in the countryside came to Mijas on their donkey and before entering La Puente they took off their old shoes and put on new espadrilles to enter the village”, said Isabel Madueño with her daughter, Loli Burgos, who is also very happy with the restoration and artistic lighting. “Cars and horses used to pass by when men came from the fields to bring things to Mijas”, pointed out Carmen Moreno, who has lived “all her life” in front of La Puente, whose recovery has been a historical demand of the 'Mijeños'.

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