A cathedral with only one tower
The Cathedral of the Incarnation was begun in the 16th century and spent more than 250 years under construction. When work finally stopped, in 1782, the south tower had never been finished. In Spanish, a person with one arm is manca — so people started calling it, fondly, La Manquita: 'the little one-armed lady'.
You can see it at a glance: the north tower rises complete and elegant, while the southern one stops half-built. That mismatch is exactly what gives the Cathedral its character — and what turned it into the symbol of the city.
The legend: the money went to American independence
The most popular story about why the tower was never finished links it to the independence of the United States. During the reign of Carlos III, some of the funds meant to complete the cathedral are said to have gone instead to helping the thirteen colonies defeat the English across the Atlantic.
The tale hangs on a famous son of Málaga, Bernardo de Gálvez, a soldier who played a key role in that war. The Americans thanked him by naming a Texas city after him — Galveston — and by sending a plaque to Málaga acknowledging 'the economic help provided by Gálvez in the US War of Independence'.
The better-documented version: a road
Historians who doubt the American story point to something far more down-to-earth: the money likely went to building the road connecting Málaga with Vélez-Málaga, a project that was more urgent at the time than topping off a tower. Less epic — probably truer.
A tower never finished — and just as well
Over time, the missing tower stopped being a flaw. La Manquita is visible from half the city, it's the silhouette you recognise as you arrive, and it's the name locals use. To many, finishing the tower now would ruin it.
If you'd like this story and others told to you as you walk the old town — the exact detail, the plaque, the bit that isn't on the ticket — the guided route below is led by a local guide.
Complete Malaga old town walking tour with admission tickets includedCheck availability →