To mark the 60th anniversary of the Sitio de Calahonda residential development, Mijas Comunicación has produced an audiovisual documentary that captures the rich history of this landmark urban complex on the Costa del Sol. The documentary screening took place on Wednesday 18th of June at the Norwegian Church in Calahonda during an event organised by Mijas Comunicación in collaboration with the Mijas Town Hall.

The screening was attended by many people closely linked to the area, including residents who chose to settle here, workers, and developers. Also present were the mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), and several councillors from the government team, including the councillor for Residential Areas and CEO of Mijas Comunicación, Juan Carlos Cuevas Dawson (Vox), and the Popular Party councillors Mario Bravo, Daniel Gómez Teruel and Lourdes Burgos.

 

An afternoon of memories

“it was a very emotional event. It is worth celebrating this anniversary with all the families of Calahonda, and it is also important to recognise the value of this development because it was a place that provided employment for many families from La Cala and today continues to generate significant economic activity, and therefore, a lot of employment”, added Mata.

 

“I’m truly quite emotional about this video, perhaps a bit less than some who were born here and have lived here longer than me. But I have spent 30 years in Calahonda and have seen how it has gradually developed, and this has been wonderfully reflected in the documentary”, said the president of the EUC Sitio de Calahonda and one of the participants in the film, César Contreras.

“The history of Calahonda is my own history because when I started working here, I also got married here, so my family life and work developed in parallel. The beginnings were very tough”, explained the developer of Calahonda, Juan de Orbaneja, who also appears in the Mijas Comunicación documentary. He is the son of José de Orbaneja, the founder and creator of the development.

“There are nearly 7,000 properties in Sitio de Calahonda, and if we consider all properties in the wider area, we could be talking about around 15,000. Calahonda is like a small town, and we have managed to maintain it well for many years”, added the Residential Areas councillor, who revealed he personally dedicated 16 years to the Sitio de Calahonda homeowners’ association. “I was responsible for security, and I’m very proud to see how the passage of time is reflected in this documentary”.

The audiovisual 

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Mijas Comunicación created a special audiovisual piece that traces the history of the Sitio de Calahonda development. Editor Carmen Jiménez and cameraman and editor Francisco Gaona visited some of the area’s most emblematic sites and had extensive conversations with key figures involved in the complex’s history.

“I want to thank all those who have driven and maintained the Calahonda area because there is a lot of natural beauty here and they take care to preserve it, which also makes us proud of Mijas overall. Mijas sometimes has hidden gems like this Norwegian church, for example, which dates back to the 1700s and which I’m sure many residents are unaware of”, the mayoress remarked. 

With more than 6,400 homes built, extensive green areas, coastline, golf courses, tennis clubs, churches, a wide range of infrastructure, and over 60 years of history, Sitio de Calahonda enjoys being one of the most notable developments on the Costa del Sol, an ideal place to live, as its residents attest. In 2023, Sitio de Calahonda celebrated its 60th anniversary. The documentary ‘Sitio de Calahonda: 60 Years of Stories’, produced by Mijas Comunicación, will be broadcast on Friday 20th of June at 10:40 hours and Saturday 21 st of June at 19:05 hours on Mijas 3.40 TV.

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