Antequera History

There is a feature of unique architecture, also built by the nobility. Some of them are the palace of the Marquis of Villadarias, Pinofiel of Count of Count of quilts, Valdellano of Count, Baron of Sabasona. The nineteenth century was marked by the loss of population due to epidemics,and the beginnings of the wool textile industry and other alternatives to agriculture and the crafts fell into decline.

In 1810, the city was re-taken, this time by French troops, who were expelled two years later. The arrival of the industrial era in the city, which makes their products, marketed throughout Spain and also makes the town famous for blankets and other woolen items But soon after, the same industrial expansion will place most of the production in Barcelona, Antequera losing its market share to the Catalan textile industry. In 1883, they approved the constitution in Antequera and from that time took the name of Antequera Constitution.

Antequera History The foundation of Antequera is linked to the emergence of the Roman town of Antikaria where there was the only college of Pontiffs of the Caesars that operated in Spain.The remains of earlier civilizations are in the Prehistoric Archeology and manifest themselves in towns whose dated between 2000 and 2500 years BC,although other opinions about the date go back to 4000BC.

The main population of this era were the dolmens of Menga, Viera, El Romeral and the governor, the first three coming to the city and the last near Villanueva algae, considered the best set dolmens in Spain, whose main exponent is the dolmen Menga megalithic landmark.

The gap between the large complex of prehistory and the great Roman legacy, it is not possible to ignore indicative settlements by Iberians, Phoenicians and Carthaginians. There is hypothetical but not negligible, however, is that of the Carthaginians Patent graves found in mud and CerroLeon,which would be the proof that they lived there and that the hill was the scene of a battle between Asdrubal and the Roman legions.

In Roman times, people quickly adopted the Roman culture and Latin language, and the transition to Roman rule was largely peaceful. Under the Romans, the city remained an important trading center,especially known for the quality of its olive oil. The excavated Roman baths are located in the southwest part of town. Notably, the Efebo Antequera is a significant sculpture in the city.

In the Middle Ages, the Germans destroyed the town along with Antikaria, Singilia, Nescania, Osqua and Aratispi, leaving them devastated. The same applies to Antikaria, which then saw the troops sent by Arab-Abdelaziz Ben-Ben-Noseir Muza, held after the treaty with the monarch in Orihuela Goth or Teodomiro Todman. During the Arab domination, it became known as Medina Antakira. The city then had a population of around 2600, and it became one of the remaining cities of the Nazari Kingdom of Granada and a major border city.

Since the mid-thirteenth century, it began to have importance as a frontier military fort. Castilian monarchs understood the key condition of the kingdom of Granada and as such tried to conquer it at different times. The importance attached in Castile to conquer the city, is evidenced by the fact that their own ruler Ferdinand, who ruled on behalf of his nephew Juan II and which has passed into history with the nickname of Antequera.

After the conquest, it was declared a city by royal charter of November 9 1441. It was during the Spanish conquest, it became the starting point for further conquests, such as those of Alora Casarabonela and especially a platform for expeditions against the kingdom of Granada.In 1466, King Henry IV granted the title of ‘worthiness’ to the city of Antequera for heroic service rendered by its residents. After the conquest of Granada in 1492, the city begins to transform and perform its expansion outside the city walls, increasing its population in a very short time to about 15,000 inhabitants in the heart of its fertile land and with the absence of enemies. After the Re-conquest, the city remained an important trading city because of its location, its flourishing agriculture and the work of its craftsmen, all of which contribute to the cultural growth of the city, the city began to be known as “The heart of Andalusia.”

But it was during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when the city had the greatest population growth to become one of the most important commercial cities in Andalusia, mainly due to its location at the crossroads of two major trade routes of Sevilla-Granada Cordoba-Malaga. The Catholic Monarchs created the Royal Collegiate of Santa Maria la Mayor,from that moment the church was the cultural reference Antequera.

In the eighteenth century when the city reached its peak.The city is changing and many religious congregations are located in the city and they built many houses, chapels and churches, to convert it into a real city Antequera. Nobility also placed orders for new palaces and then came an important artistic activity to nourish not only the numerous monasteries and palaces, in Antequera, and also the neighboring villages and from other provinces.