La Viñuela is a municipality in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of La Axarquía. The village of La Viñuela is situated from the provincial capital of Málaga and from the coast at Torre del Mar. The village sits at a height of above sea level. Inhabitants are called viñoleros. One of its hamlets is Los Romanes. La Viñuela is dominated by the landscape of La Maroma, which belongs to the mountain range known as Sierra de Tejeda and at a height of is the highest mountain in Axarquía. Another dominant feature of the landscape is that of the reservoir known in English as Lake Viñuela; it holds 170 million cubic metres of water and is surrounded by picnic areas, some with barbecues. Swimming and non-motorised water sports are also permitted here. Climate Average temperature: 17 °C Hours of sun per year: 2900 Rainfall: 568 L/m2 History The village grew during the 18th century around a building called La Venta La Viña, which fed and watered weary travellers en route between the coast and inland Granada, which is still a centre for the old men of the village to meet for a game of dominoes. The village was named after the vines that grow in the area and from this building where local wine was sold. In 2011 the population was 1980 inhabitants according to data from the INE, the Spanish Institute of National Statistics. It became a town in 1764 with its first appointed mayor Juan Lucas García del Rey, however, this was not the first time the area had been inhabited: when the excavation work to create the reservoir began, 14 archaeological sites dating back to Neolithic and Roman times were found, including the remains of wattle and daub huts, a smelting furnace and an abundance of stone tools and ceramics. Politics Monuments and places of interest Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows San José Church Embalse de La Viñuela (Lake Viñuela) Atalaya Tower The Miraculous Chapel Local festivities The local fiestas begin at Easter, usually mid-March or April. In May there is the pilgrimage from the village to the hamlets of Los Gómez and Los Romanes. In mid-July they celebrate the Feria de Los Gómez in honour of the Virgen del Carmen. At the end of July/beginning of August are the celebrations for the feast