Why are the citizens of Almuñécar called sexitanos?

Almuñécar is a town to the south of Granada that has always been open to the influences of the Mediterranean.

The etymology of the name of the citizens of Almuñécar comes from its ancient name, so that if you do not know the millenary history of this settlement, you cannot understand

What is the origin of Almuñécar?

Almuñécar, situated on the crossing between Tyre and Sidon and Gades, played a very important role in antiquity. The first written references come from the Hellenistic geographer Strabo, who pointed out that Almuñécar was the genesis of the expansion of the Phoenicians along the current Andalusian coast. Pliny the Younger and Ptolemy also mentioned our city in their writings.

The toponym Seks or Ex, means settlement on a hill, and is contemporary to the oldest archaeological remains that have been found in the municipality: the necropolis of Velilla, Cerro de San Cristobal and Puente de Noi.


This settlement, where the Phoenicians developed their colony, is estimated to have begun in the first half of the 8th century B.C. and lasted until the time of the Low Empire. After the fall of Rome, the Arabs conquered the peninsula and in this particular city they implemented great technological advances that contributed to the wealth and uniqueness of the municipality.
association flamencos sexitanos


When the kingdom of Granada fell, the Christians took possession of this port city and granted it the title of city due to its history and strategic importance. Various periods of uncertainty, such as the British siege and the French occupation, have not prevented it from surviving to the present day.

Where does the gentilicio sexitano come from?

Sexitano seems to come from the toponym that the town had in Phoenician times. Seks, or Ex, is the name given to the citizens of Almuñécar.
Sexitano


During the 1st century AD Almuñécar became very important in the garum trade and one of the legal privileges granted to it for its support of Julius Caesar against Pompey Magnus during the second civil war of the Roman Republic was that of the mint, a place where legal tender could be minted. During this period of time, Sexi minted Sexi Aces, a Latin name derived from Ex or Seks.

The strategic location and its special natural conditions made Almuñécar a solid fortified settlement which has survived to the present day despite various invasions and adversities.



The name Sexi derives from this first toponym. And by Sexi Almuñécar was known throughout Phoenician and Roman times, from which it derives its current name 'sexitanos'. A gentilicio that coexists with 'almuñequero' although the latter is less recurrent.

What city is a 'sexitano' from?

After this brief explanation you can find out that a 'sexitano' is the name of the inhabitants of the present-day Almuñécar.
sexitano youth t-shirt

What is a sexitano?

A sexitano or almuñequero is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean town of Almuñécar.

The transformation from Sexi to Almuñécar

After the fall of Rome, various peoples came to power in different parts of the Iberian Peninsula. During the Middle Ages, peoples from North Africa gradually occupied the region and this is when the current name of the municipality of Sexitano was born.

which town is sexitano

At this time the locality came to be called in Arabic like other place names that begin with the prefix -Al, specifically 'Hins-al-Monacar', which means locality surrounded by mountains. A recurring name, similar to the one given to it by its first settlers.

from which place is sexitano

And all thanks to the curious and spectacular orography of this region, which is made up of mountains that make possible the subtropical climate that Almuñécar enjoys all year round.


It is worth mentioning that the current fertile plain, today covered with the most extensive custard apple forest in the world, was formerly a kind of marshland, with a shallow draught and very rich in fauna and vegetation, which made it perfect to house the Roman fleet and to develop an important industry related to fish.




During the period when the territory of al-Andalus was divided into taifas, Almuñécar depended on the taifa of Granada. In this way it became the main coastal town of its kingdom. Throughout the Nasrid kingdom it was one of the most important centres, together with the rest of the sites in its district: Cázulas, Lentegí, Turillas, Otívar and Jete, the now disappeared farmstead of Bodíjar, Ítrabo and Xate.




Furthermore, this region was much visited by royalty, who spent periods of time in the royal dwelling. After the fall of Partida in 1489, the coast of Granada surrendered to the Castilian troops that same year, under the capitulations signed in Almuñécar.

It is important to note that the municipality of Motril, since the time of the infamous Francisco Javier de Burgos, has constantly tried to usurp the history of Almuñécar as its own and has even added it to its coat of arms.



Pliny, for example, in his description of the coast from Poniente to Levante, states that it passed through Málaga (Menoba), then Sexi and then Salobreña. So, according to this situation, Sexi was between Salobreña and Málaga. This does not suit, nor can it suit Motril, which is one league further east than Salobreña.