In the square known as Placeta Vella, which could be considered the heart of the old village, stands the monument to the “riberer”. It represents the residents of Benissa who, twice a year, left the village to go and work as seasonal labourers in the cultivation and harvesting of rice in the Ribera del Júcar area, in the province of Valencia.

They made the journey on foot, dressed in humble patched clothes, and they carried a palm basket on their shoulders during the trip, containing sausages, salted meats and bread.

On the old road to Valencia there was a large rock from which the bell tower of the old fortress church of Benissa could be seen for the last time. There, the groups of riberers stopped and prayed a Salve in request of protection and as a way of saying goodbye to their village. This image is the one represented by the monument to the riberer, which was paid for by popular subscription and inaugurated in the 1980s.

Over time, there were so many riberers that they created their own festivities within the framework of the celebrations of the Purísima Xiqueta.

In the same square where the monument is located, there are also two large stately homes from the 16th century. One is the house of the Torres Orduña family, which used to belong to the Ivars del Poví family and currently houses the Public Library and the Casino.

Nearby, you can see the house of Juan Vives, which has smaller dimensions and where there is an inscription on the facade that narrates the origins of the devotion of the Purísima Xiqueta.