Alhaurín de la Torre is the border between the valley and the coast with a landscape spread among the sierra and the valley, between the city and the countryside. In the sierra it is a balcony of pine groves, open to the Guadalhorce valley near Alhaurín el Grande, and also open to the Valley and the City of Malaga. And although a part of the sierra offers a corroded landscape of quarries, another, the largest part, maintains corners of great beauty, such as the Alto de Jarapalo, reached by the holm-oaks, or the Tajos de Abarcuza.

In the valley, Alhaurín de la Torre is a vegetable plot which approaches the Guadalhorce along pathways and farmhouses, and bordering the Sierra de Cártama, enters the natural corridor of the two Alhaurines up to the Guadalhorce valley. But, in these last years, the landscape of Alhaurín is also a city which grows and extends over the foot of the sierra until it almost covers it completely, continuing uphill with urbanizations which speckle the hillsides with houses and gardens.

Alhaurín de la Torre possibly had its first settlement in the Phoenician era, coinciding with these residents in the nearby municipality of Alhaurín el Grande in order to explore the lead and silver mines. It would be the presence of these metals that later brought the pre-roman hispanics and with them the influence of the Tartesses. But it would be in the Roman era, when it became a strategic point and received the name of Lauro Vetus, quoted in various ancient chronicles. Some think that it was here where Cneo Pompey died at the hands of Julius Caesar's followers, when he lost the battle of Munda.

Later, the Arabs founded a town they called Alhaurein or Albarracín until it was conquered by the Christians in 1485 and they added de la Torre to distinguish it from its neighbour Alhaurín el Grande.

Judging by the chronicles, the lands of Alhaurín de la Torre could have reached the sea, but in 1502 a sentence was pronounced in favour of Malaga, in a lawsuit the two towns maintained, where the first had to cede the towers of Pimentel to the other, which belong to Torremolinos and Churriana, which then formed part of its jurisdiction.

One of the most significant deeds in contemporary history is the capture of the general José María Torrijos and his followers, which occured on the 5th of December of 1831 in the area called Alquería. They had revolted against the absolute power of the monarch Fernando VII and were executed on the beach of San Andres in Málaga. Places to visit
The parish church of San Sebastián is the most significant monument in this town, which with the passing of the years and the development as a sleeping city to Málaga and Torremolinos, has lost a certain identity of its ancient simple architecture, based on ground-floor dwellings and painted baseboards which are typical of the towns in this area. The church of San Sebastian was built in the 18th century with a cross base and Mudejar coffering. Outside, two twin steeples flank the pediment. At the entrance of the town there is a small chapel of the Cristo del Cardón; the aqueduct of the Arcos de Zapata, from the end of the 18th century and of which the best samples are in the Fuente del Rey, and the chapel of San Francisco de Paula or Alamillo. There are still remains of what was once a Roman villa, the Alquería or Casa de Torrijos.

Outside the urban area towards Alhaurín el Grande, is the Real Sociedad de Tiro de Pichón (Jarapalo) and the modern, 18 hole golf course, Lauro Golf, recently built.

Gastronomy
The singularities of this town's gastronomy are; rice with chestnuts which is the favourite dish at Easter and in the winter. Soups and porridge, also in the winter. And in the summer, cod salad.

Fiestas and Traditions
The patron saint's festivities are on the 20th of January, San Sebastian and the 2nd of February, the Virgen de la Candelaria, with the offerings of bread in rusk form to the virgin. At Easter, Alhaurín de la Torre, as its neighbour el Grande, also compete with the "green" and "purple" gangs. One of the most important flamenco festivals in the province takes place, in the festivities of San Juan: the Torre del Cante.