Malpica of the Bergantinhos region, thus called to distinguish it from other place names in the Spanish directory of names, is defined as the municipality's capital of administration and trade. The first documentary records date from the XIIIth century, when the town is cited as belonging to the estate of the Archbishop of Compostela. In the XVth century, Sancho of Ulloa, Count of Monterrei, snatches it from the Archbishop Alonso II of Fonseca, in order to add it to his dominions.

If Buño was founded as a piece of clay which turns around the "form" (piece of the potter's wheel where clay is formed), Malpica came into the world and grew throwing itself into the sea. Cardinal Hoyo relates that at the beginning of the XVIIth century, the economic activity of the town was focused on the fishing of cetaceans in collaboration with the Cantabrian and Basque sailors, after the latter had paid the tax stipulated by the archbishop of Compostela. Even nowadays, we find samples of this type of fishing in the joists which support the roof of many waterwheels or even of old houses of maritime architecture which are present in quarters such as the Atalaia or in the Areal. The cause of its importance as whaling port was that Malpica was the seat of the Assistant Harbormaster's Office up to 1895, the year it moved first to Ponteceso and subsequently to Corme.

After the decline of the whaling trade's peak, the dangerous cove (or "ribeira", i.e. shore, as the port of Malpica is still called nowadays) became the cove of daring sailors on sailing boats who used traditional fishing methods such as the "mediomundo" which do not exist anymore. Subsequently, the fishing sector got a new boost thanks to the appearance of the fish canning factories and salteries. From then on, the fishing nets were thrown into the sea to capture the sardines which filled the "tabales" (wooden recipients where the sardines were salted) of the Abella or Modesto Ordoñez families. In times of shortages, better fishing grounds were looked for in the ria (tidal inlet) of Muros. Nowadays, Malpica has a fleet of numerous ships for trawling and day fishing which await the next fishing in a port which is equipped with top-quality infrastructures (ice factory, a new fish market, industrial premises for netmaking, big unloading port, sheltered dock for small vessels). Characteristic of the Malpican port and a peculiar trade in the whole of Galicia is the presence of the "boatmen" or sea "taxi drivers" who transport the sailors from the pier to the fishing vessels on their boats every afternoon.

But the port of Malpica offers other attractions to the visitor. Among rod fishers for squids, it is easy to feel nostalgic, while sailors hoist fishing nets or while the latter and motorboats approach the port packed with the night or day fishing. Sitting on the ground, the tying women artistically sew the nets which got torn in the depths of the sea. In the fish market, first thing in the afternoon, the shouts of the auction await a buyer ("fishing" in the local jargon) saying "mine" to silence the market and make the purchase. The Sea Festival in August merges water, fire and people into happiness.

After savoring any of the delicious dishes offered by the local restaurants (fish, octopus, seafood stews), or between meals, Malpica invites you to go for a walk on its steep streets, in search of the warmth of a conversation around a bonfire and to taste the grilled sardines. In the interior, inn people accompanied by their wine cups talk about abundant fishing grounds and tough fishing on the sea. The town squares mark Malpica's sea life. Anselmo Villar Amigo Square reminds you of the singular personality of this benefactor who emigrated to the city of Buenos Aires. A long time ago, Santa Lucía Square was the place for guesthouses such as The Hidden Treasure, where the Sevillean writer, Pepe Más, stayed; and watch out for the Lower Baldayo on stormy days.

On the walls of the House of the Sailor, a building which was inaugurated in 1956, the painter, Urbano Lugrís, has left his marks. During his stay in Malpica of the Bergantiños region, he left several murals full of poetic texts, sea flora and fauna, sea legends and literature; two hagiographic triptychs and a compass card. With the back to the port, the seafront and the Major Area open out to the Sisargas islands, both rest areas for the traveler and meeting points of the surfers the whole year through.