Romantic writers and artists described the beauty of towns like Ronda so that foreigners could discover the most marvellous places.
The legend of the bandoleros,(bandits), always linked to Ronda and its culture, was born after the stoic defence of the town against Napoleon's troops. It is said that after the War of Independence there were highwaymen who attacked travellers on the roads and lived wandering through the mountains, taking advantage of the most innocent and unwary. They became so famous in the popular imagination that their image, with their characteristic attire and their blunderbusses, became forever associated with Ronda.
But, to what extent does this popular legend, which the romantic writers took it upon themselves to make universally known, correspond to reality?
Famous bandoleros
· Diego Corriente "El Bandido Generoso" (The Generous Bandit) was the first example of a bandit who helped the most needy. A kind of Robin Hood who was born in Utrera and was linked with the Andalusian day labourers.
· José Ulloa Navarro "El Tragabuches" was one of the most famous members of "Los Siete Niños de Écija" (The Seven Écija Boys), one of the best-known gangs of bandits in 19th century Andalusia. He was a bullfighter by profession, but left the bullrings after killing his wife and her lover. After this incident, he joined the gang of bandits. After the gang broke up, he disappeared without trace.
· Joaquín Camargo Gómez "El Vivillo" tried his luck as a tobacco smuggler in Gibraltar and, as he had to hide from the Civil Guard, he moved on to living as a bandit in the mountain range known as the Serranía de Ronda.
· Juan José Mingolla Gallardo "Pasos Largos" is known as "the last Andalusian bandit". He was born in the town of El Burgo, very near Ronda.
The Bandolero Museum (a museum dedicated to bandits)
The majority of the bandits lived in the Serranía de Ronda, but many also came from other parts of Andalusia and Spain. The Bandolero Museum is a tourist attraction in the capital of the Tajo (a dramatic gorge in Ronda). It explains the history of banditry in Spain and, above all, in Andalusia in an entertaining way. It shows a journey through time from the romantic beginnings of banditry to the social problem that it eventually became.
The layout of the Museum is divided into five rooms. Together they comprise a journey to get to know the bandits through original images and historical documents such as baptism certificates, death certificates, edicts, warrants and stamps. There are also objects that have been preserved from the period such as coins, blunderbusses, knives and pistols. A character, the bandolero, helps to become familiar with a whole period of the history of Andalusia and Spain.
