HISTORY
Cortes y Graena has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with remains from the Bronze Age found within its borders. The Romans also left their mark on this land. The periods that have left the most vestiges and shaped the towns the most are the era of Muslim domination and the subsequent Reconquista.
The settlements of Lopera, Graena, and Cortes were formed around groups of caves that were used by Muslims. These caves are still preserved and are known as covarrones, a type of cave dwelling, and they served as shelters in case of attack. The Graena spa gave rise to the town of Los Baños.
Following the Reconquest of the New Kingdom of Granada, land was granted to reward the families who had helped the Catholic Monarchs. The Pérez de Barradas family was awarded properties in Cortes de Graena. The Marquisate of Cortes de Graena was granted by Philip IV and Charles II in 1626 and 1689, respectively. The family continued until 1960, when Doña Isabel de Angulo y Rodríguez del Toro died without leaving an heir. This marked the beginning of a period of more than twenty-five years during which the settlers fought to obtain ownership of the properties that they and their families had worked on for centuries.
Los Baños, Lopera, Cortes, and Graena historically came together as part of the same municipality in the Alhama Valley, Granada, around the year 1683, when the Marquisate of Cortes de Graena was established. Their origins date back to medieval times, having formed as small farming villages around covarrones (cave dwellings), and their development was shaped by the use of thermal waters and the presence of cave houses, such as those found at the Graena Spa.