HISTORY OF SERÓN
Since prehistory, Serón has been settled by numerous cultures. Among the most interesting local archaeological findings is the presence of the wine glass formation, which occurs along the Almanzora River and spreads throughout Europe; the Argaric Culture is represented by its cup, which arises in the Lower Almanzora and extends over a wide territory of Southeast Spain.
The name of the town is likely to date back to the Iberians, or the Moors who called it called “Sayrun” or “Sirun” . The current town developed around the nucleus of the castle fortress, which was a prominent site during the Moorish Wars of the sixteenth century. The town and its fortress were conquered in 1489. After the capitulations, it was donated in señorío by the Catholic Monarchs to the leader, Mahomat Haçen, and after his expulsion to Berbería, it became the property of Don Diego López Pacheco, Marqués de Villena.
The Moorish revolt of 1568 was especially violent in Serón. In July 1569, the Moors took over the fortress and the village, killing its inhabitants, leaving children under twelve years old and the women who owned the Alpujarras. In 1570, Don Juan of Austria suffered his only defeat against the Moors and almost died in the so-called Cuesta de la Matanza, where 6,000 Moors sent by El Maleh and El Habaquí attacked Don Juan de Austria’s troops. After the War of the Alpujarras, the Moriscos were expelled, carrying out the repopulation with affected neighbours outside the Kingdom of Granada.
The nineteenth century bought industrialization and with it the mining fever, with a focus on iron extraction. In 1845, a nitro hatchery was discovered in Angosto, where three factories were built. Mining was developed throughout the nineteenth century through capitals and companies of English origin. Between 1920 and 1930, the process was reversed, bringing a prolonged crisis and forced emigration. The mines closed definitively in 1968.