HISTORY

History

Throughout the millennia, the Alpujarra has been the setting for countless historical events, remaining silent witness to them all. The Syrians and Phoenicians were the first people to establish commercial relations with the indigenous communities of the Spanish Mediterranean, and they may have been the founders of Sex (Motril), Ábdera (Adra), Sexi (Almuñecar). The Carthaginians, who inherited the Phoenicians' commercial interests, established prosperous industries along the Alpujarra coast. These industries were based on salting fish, mining minerals and processing esparto grass from Almería, as well as trading goods from the sea.
There is also abundant evidence of Roman passage through the Alpujarra from 27 BC onwards. It is believed that the first settlers of Alpujarra de la Sierra were African tribes belonging to the Hamitic ethnic group. They arrived in the Neolithic period and occupied the land between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean. Evidence of this can be seen in the polished axes, stone knives and other Neolithic artefacts found in Mecina Bombarón, Bérchules and Mairena. Around 1200 BC, the Tartessians settled on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, exploiting its mines and cultivating its valleys.
The Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians followed, but their time in these lands was short-lived and they soon gave way to the Romans. The Arabs developed sophisticated irrigation systems for irrigated agriculture, some of which are still in use today. The most well-documented period in the history of the Alpujarra was the Moorish rebellion of 1568.
The Catholic Monarchs established the Capitulations with the Islamic population, whereby their property, customs and religious worship were to be respected. However, discontent was widespread and uprisings were frequent. On Christmas Eve 1568, a rebellion broke out and Don Fernando de Válor was crowned king of the rebels, Abén Humeya. The following year, he was assassinated and his cousin Diego López, Abén Aboo — historically known by the cruel name "El Reyecillo" — assumed the throne. He was hated by both his enemies and his own supporters after betraying his cousin. He led the Moorish rebellion for a year and a half and finally died on 15 March 1571 in a cave between Mecina Bombarón and Bérchules. This marked the total expulsion of the Moors from the Alpujarra. To prevent the area from becoming deserted and to alleviate the serious economic effects, Felipe II ordered the repopulation of the Alpujarra with more than 2,000 families from Galicia, León, Asturias and Castile.