The oldest evidence of human presence locally is the cave paintings of the Navalcán enclave, dated to the Copper Age. Between the end of the War of Granada in 1492 and the early sixteenth century, the lands surrounding today’s Noalejo were “entredichos”, or intermediate territorial bands not belonging to any specific municipality.
The oldest evidenced occupation of the municipal area dates back to somewhere between 2000 and 2500 BC, and can be traced in the Cueva de Aro. Further prehistoric references can be found on the hill of the Torre de la Cabeza, where remains from the Copper, Bronze, Iberian, Roman and Medieval periods have been unearthed. The first written reference to a population in Pegalajar is found in the tenth-century work of oriental geographer Al Muqadasi.
Jódar and its surroundings have been populated in some form since at least the third millennium BC; the site of Las Quebradas, dating from the Chalcolithic period, evidences prehistoric settlement, whilst Mycenaean remains attest to human presence during the Iberian era.
Jimena has a rich prehistoric legacy visible in the Cueva de la Graja cave paintings, which attest to the shepherds that populated the Sierras Meridionales between the fourth and third millennium BC. There are numerous historic settlements that demonstrate how the area was subsequently populated, especially Cerro Alcalá, an important reference for the prehistoric, ancient and medieval heritage of the town.
The area of Navas de San Juan was occupied as early as the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, as evidenced by the settlements of Castellón and La Atalaya.
Huelma is located just 3km west of the Jandulilla River, which forms a natural transit corridor from north to south between the Alto Valle del Guadalquivir valley, Vega de Granada and Hoya de Guadix, which are the areas where historically there were the largest and oldest concentrations of population.
The origins of Bedmar can be traced back to the Iberians, later becoming a Roman castro and in turn inhabited by the Visigoths. However, it was during the Arab occupation of the territory that Bedmar became a formal township through the building of Villa Vieja. In 1411, the Order of Santiago built the “New Castle” modelled on contemporary defensive techniques, making it impossible for the Nasrid troops to attack. The castle’s strategic position on the Nasrid border made it a frequent object of military attention, which ultimately culminated in the Castilian conquest of 1431.
Human presence in this area dates back to the Bronze Age, evident from a series of remains discovered in the Sierra de Cabra. During the Iberian era, the region formed part of a commercial route linking Granada with the Guadalquivir Valley. In the Hispano-Muslim period, a citadel was erected on the Cerro de San Juan. Some historians suggest it could be the Bagtawira fortress, belonging to a significant family that rebelled against the Umayyads at the close of the ninth and the beginning of the tenth century.
The area of Navas de San Juan was occupied as early as the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, as evidenced by the settlements of Castellón and La Atalaya.
The area of Navas de San Juan was occupied as early as the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, as evidenced by the settlements of Castellón and La Atalaya.
Given its strategic position as a passageway between Levante or La Mancha and the Guadalquivir Valley, Montizón has been settled since ancient times. Its earliest settlers are attested to by numerous remains including flint-tipped arrows, axes and carved stones, collected in Torre-Alber, and ceramics found in Cabeza Chica.
Polopos dates back to the Andalusi era. Los Ceheles were two Tahas located in the eastern most area of the Granada Coast. The Tahá located further to the East was called the Tahá de Sahil, normally more depopulated than its companion in the West due to the continuous incursions of Turkish corsairs and Barbary Moors. Several rural cisterns and water wheels remain as timeless witnesses of this Arab period, symbols of an undoubtedly prosperous agriculture.
Although there is evidence of human settlements in Jete since the Neolithic period, with burial caves and evidence of abundant lithic and ceramic industries, the origin of the current settlement dates back to an era in which Muslim populations lived in the area. Geographers spoke from the eleventh and twelfth centuries of a settlement known as “Set”, “Xet” and “Yeth” - a name that means “shore” or “bank” - as a farm belonging to the Alfoz of Almuñécar.
In 1933, a prehistoric necropolis was discovered in the area known as Umbría Tinajas, belonging to the Argaric bronze age; the remains are currently in the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Granada.
Although there is evidence of human settlements in Jete since the Neolithic period, with burial caves and evidence of abundant lithic and ceramic industries, the origin of the current settlement dates back to an era in which Muslim populations lived in the area. Geographers spoke from the eleventh and twelfth centuries of a settlement known as “Set”, “Xet” and “Yeth” - a name that means “shore” or “bank” - as a farm belonging to the Alfoz of Almuñécar.
Gualchos has its origins in the Nasrid farmhouses, possibly arising as a result of the desire to take advantage of the land for irrigated crops. Here we must highlight the mine, which was once a cistern, then a washing place and now a wonderful viewpoint, whose water source still provides spring water to the community.
The history of the town dates back to the Neolithic period, as attested to by the archaeological remains found in the Bat Cave. These are several skeletons with their grave goods and remains of the clothing in which they were shrouded. These remains were preserved for a time in the National Archaeological Museum and were later transferred in part to the Archaeological Museum of Granada.
Legend has it that Úbeda was founded by Túbal, a descendant of Noah. The name of the city would derive from the mythical tower of King Ibiut. The first settlements in Úbeda date back to the Copper Age, on the hill currently called Cerro del Alcázar.
The oldest testimonies found in the area of Chilluévar date back to the time of the Iberians, in the village of Las Almansas, and to Roman times, when it was densely occupied with rustic villas. A set of funerary inscriptions are preserved in the Provincial Museum from this time.