Explore Castillo Monumento Colomares: A Stunning Tribute in Spain

New York-based physician Esteban Martin Martin always had great enthusiasm for the life and travels of explorer Christopher Columbus. Though Christopher Columbus was Italian, Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’s expeditions to the New World. Esteban Martin Martin was convinced that not enough people appreciated Spain’s contributions to the legacy of Christopher Columbus, so Martin Martin decided to build a monument that looks like a fantastical castle called Castillo Monumento Colomares dedicated to the explorer in Benalmadena, Spain.

Castillo Monumento Colomares is a sprawling stone structure built between 1987 and 1994 that employs several different styles of architecture that were popular when Columbus and his crew sailed the high seas, including Gothic spires, Mudejar brickwork, and Romanesque arches. Visitors are unable to enter the “castle,” but for a small fee, onlookers can tour the well-manicured grounds and view the intricate monument from various angles. Castillo Monumento Colomares occasionally hosts live performances, markets, and conferences.

Some may view a monument to Christopher Columbus—whose questionable conduct has been scrutinized in recent years—as a little kooky. Regardless of your thoughts about the legacy of Christopher Columbus, Castillo Monumento Colomares features some truly impressive craftsmanship. A stone re-creation of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María—the three ships that carried Christopher Columbus and his crew to North and Central America—is one of the monument’s grand highlights.

Dr. Martin Martin spent decades studying historic documents so that he could integrate as many flourishes rooted in Spanish history as possible into his stately monument. Castillo Monumento Colomares features Christian, Muslim, and Jewish architecture as these three religions influenced Spanish culture during the life and times of Christopher Columbus. A Chinese pagoda tower constructed in the Muslim-influenced Mudejar style is one of the monument’s most eye-catching details. The pagoda is a nod to Columbus’s yearning to travel east.

Located on the Costa del Sol, Castillo Monumento Colomares offers a sweeping view of the cerulean waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Visitors can spend the day in nearby Málaga and enjoy a stunning botanical garden, a Spanish extension of the Centre Pompidou, and the Calle Marqués de Larios pedestrian mall. Travelers can also relax in the sunshine at the gorgeous La Malagueta Beach.

The ornate stonework of Castillo Monumento Colomares is a sight worth seeing. If you’re a fan of ornate architecture with enough flourishes to keep you engaged for hours, a trip to Castillo Monumento Colomares is an absolute must.