History
The town's origins date back to prehistoric times, specifically the Argar culture, which left behind Neolithic remains. Bronze Age mining operations continued into Roman times.
In Roman times, the town was named Sericus or Sericis. The Moors called it Mecina or Alcázar (castle) due to the presence of two settlements, one of which was Mecina, the prehistoric settlement, and the other Xeriz, the Muslim settlement. The predominance of the latter and the absorption of the former and an abundant water supply led to the village becoming an important hamlet in the twelfth century due to its abundant water supply. The Nasrid Kings of Granada owned extensive properties there.
In 1960, a US Navy DC-4 (R5D-3) aircraft crashed in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Jérez del Marquesado.