A Short History about Estepona

We must go back to the Palaeolithic to locate the first human remains of the area. Date to this period has been found stone-made tools typical of the Neanderthal man, used for hunting or in agriculture. That’s why some studies reflected the possibility of a nomad sort in these populations.

The presence of the Homo sapiens marks the beginning of the Neolithic period, and therefore the diversification of the economic activities. So, plus de agricultural and hunting activities, is add the livestock and cereal cultivation. In this area has been found ceramics remains, stone-cut tools and axes coming from this historic period.

The Copper Age has also left its vestiges in Estepona: in the Pedregales area we find some archaeological remains that demonstrate the metal use knowledge by its population 5.000 years ago. Moreover, in the Castillejos area has been found some remains of bell-shaped style vessels, defined by its geometric motifs-based decoration. Besides them has appeared some big receptacles’ remains, whose utility was the grain storage.

In the Bronze Age it also was human settlements in the area, as is testified by the discoveries done.

By the way, we may add the discovery of five dolmens in the Corominas area, which contained weapons, ceramics and adornments from buried people.

Between 9th and 8th Century B.C. the Phoenicians arrived to the Malaga coast founding settlements around the area, where they started to exploit the natural resources and create and maintain commercial contacts with the native people. This is a moment of economic prosperity thanks to the beginning of the salted fish production development, for its exportation all around the Mediterranean Sea. Has its origin in this period the amphorae, dishes, urns and other relics found in the Torreón settlement, besides the Guadalmansa River. Nowadays, very close to this settlement, it’s erected the exclusive URBANIZACIÓN GUADALMANSA estate, with its astonishing villages and exuberant vegetation.

After the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans, all the villages surrounding the area quickly assimilated the economic and social changes that the conquest involved. The salted fish industry saw itself reinforced, being very famous the kind of production so called “Garum”.

The most important settlement of the Roman period is located besides the Guadalmansa River, exactly where the hot baths remains are. It seems that these springs were part of the roman city called Salduba. The excavations done revealed the existence in this area of paved rooms as well as mosaics, statues and columns remains.

But, due to the fall of the Roman Empire, the thriving settlement of Saldaba disappeared, as it happened to some other villages surrounding the coast. Since then, the settlements of the area will begin to bunch up in bigger ones where the key point of the village will be the Basilica, destined to the Christian cult, and the corresponding graveyard. We must say that in Arroyo Vaquero has been founded a 30-graves cemetery, containing remains and personal objects.

When the Peninsula is conquered by Muslims, Estepona becomes a very important spot: in the Nicio settlement has been found remains from the 9th, 10th and 11th century.

So, during the Abderraman III caliphate, a huge castle is built (there’s still some remains in the Estepona Town Hall area). Called Estebbuna, it gave the village its actual name.

As a consequence of the continuous wars and struggles between the Muslim Kingdoms, the city passed alternatively into Taifas King’s hands to Almorávides and Almohades, Merinies and, finally, Nazari hands.

Over and over the centuries, the city remained as an important strategic spot, given its proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar and the richness of the area.

The king Enrique IV conquered the city on 1456 A.C. The repopulation of the village was complicated, as it was very close to the frontier with the Nazari Kingdom. That’s the reason why this king took the decision of leaving and destroying the city: he didn’t want to allow the Muslims to get it back and use it again.

Later on, after the conquering of Granada and motivated by its strategic position, the Catholic Kings decided to rebuild the castle and reinforce the city with another fortress: the San Luis Castle. At the same time, several watchtowers were built along the coastline, with the proposal of keeping an eye on the territory.

In 1502, in this castle was living 30 families coming from different points of the area. The city development was carried out, in first place, within its walls. Subsequently, the houses were built outside these walls.

Once the population was settled, with the centuries’ development, Estepona supported itself with fishing and agriculture. The city produced any kind of vegetables, especially lemons. This is the agriculture grounding that has give way to the actual tropical cultivations, such advocates plantations.

But, in the last two decades of the 20th Century, the fast-growing industry in this area has been tourism, especially residential tourism. This fact has prompted an intense increasing of the city population as well as the local economy, and a gradual improvement of the facilities and services.

That’s the reason why the building industry has become an important economic pillar of the village. We have to consider that the village has a wide city area, causing that a large amount of countryside had been replaced for new constructions, neighbourhoods and estates far away from the city centre.

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