HISTORY
Mining of mineral resources in Alquife dates back to the Bronze Age, continuing into the Roman period when the minerals were traded in the Roman city of Acci. During the Middle Ages, mining operations centred around the castle, built in the 11th century. Following the Reconquest, the Catholic Monarchs granted Pedro González de Mendoza lordship over several farmsteads in 1490, as well as a monopoly on the iron ore mines of Alquife and Jérez del Marquesado to his son, the first Marquis of Cenete. Mining remained in the lineage of the Dukes of Infantado until the nineteenth century.
At the end of the nineteenth century, mining and railways were Spain's growth industries. Both sectors were effectively controlled by foreign-owned companies. In the case of Alquife, the Scottish company Baird's Mining Company Limited acquired the mining concessions in the area in 1895. Mining had been taking place there since the 1870s. The iron ore extracted in Alquife was transported by rail along the Linares–Almería line, for which two branches were built to connect the mines. The area experienced significant population growth during this period. In 1929, Bairds Mining transferred its operations to Compañía Andaluza de Minas (CAM). Production at the mine peaked from the 1940s onwards.
The mining town of Los Pozos was built between the 1950s and 1970s. However, from 1970 onwards, mining activity began to decline, leading to population migration to other industrial towns, coastal tourist resorts and cities — mainly Granada and Almería. The mine was closed from 1996 to 2021, leaving visible reminders of the town's and region's mining past. Since then, the town has become a popular destination for photographers and industrial architecture enthusiasts. In 2021, the mine reopened thanks to technical improvements and an increase in the international price of steel.