Related videos:
In the heart of the Serranía de Ronda, nestled among mountains and narrow roads that wind through the Andalusian landscape, there is a tiny village where only 176 people live.
It is called Atajate, the least populated municipality in the entire province of Málaga, and among its residents, there is a detail that piques the curiosity of any Cuban reader; a fellow countryman lives there.
The information was published by El Español, based on the latest data from the 2025 Annual Population Census by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). According to that report, Atajate lost 20 inhabitants in one year and has become the smallest town in the province.
Nonetheless, among the British, Moroccans, Italians, Dutch, and Spaniards, a Cuban is also part of that small community, proving once again that Cubans arrive and settle in the most unexpected places around the world.
A Cuban in a town where everyone knows each other
According to El Español, the population of Atajate consists of 159 Spaniards, six Moroccans, five Britons, one French person, one Italian, one person from the Netherlands, one Paraguayan, and one Cuban, who adds their own Caribbean accent to this nearly isolated corner of Andalucía.
The presence of a Cuban in such a small municipality is significant considering the phenomenon of migratory dispersion. The Cuban diaspora is no longer concentrated solely in large cities like Madrid, Barcelona, or Miami; it is also emerging in tiny towns, where life unfolds among gardens, silence, and neighbors who greet each other by name.
Atajate: a tiny place with a lot of history
Despite its size, Atajate is not an ordinary place. The village is located over 700 meters above sea level and is known for its mountainous landscape, hiking trails, and the tranquility it offers to those looking to escape urban noise. Its cobblestone streets and white architecture make it a typical mountain village, seemingly frozen in time.
However, the case of Atajate is not unique. El Español notes that many of the smaller municipalities in Málaga continue to lose population. Salares, now the second least populated village, has 196 residents, including 13 British, six Moroccans, and citizens from other countries as well. The province has more than 1.7 million inhabitants, but rural life continues to decline year after year.
In contrast, the presence of migrants, including Cubans, has visibly increased in Andalusia. And although the personal history of the Cuban living in Atajate is unknown, their mere presence there reinforces the idea that Cuban identity is expanding and adapting, even in places so remote that they hardly appear on the map.
Filed under: