Estepona History

Estepona was inhabited during prehistoric times; flint toolsand dolmens were discovered throughout the course of a stream west of the town.

Its origin is disputed, although the latterhypothesis, based on the existence of an Iberian city with an important naturalharbor, suggests the Iberian oppidum of Salduba was the original settlement,then Estepona.

However, in recent years, Roman remains have been found inthe center of the town, which corresponds to an important Roman villa not onlyfor industrial use (salt) but also in defense.

During Muslim times, there was a fortress calledAl-extebunna, which may be how Estepona got its name.

In the year 1342 there was a naval battle of 30 galleys off the coast of Estepona knownas the fleet of Aragon(supported by Genova Castilla).

In the 15th century, during the Muslim rule, the inhabitantsof the town refused to pay taxes to King Henry IV, finally authorizing anincursion on Christianity. During 1456 and the following year,King Henryreclaimed his castle and the town.

He then wanted to protect the coast by building a newtown—the former had been virtually destroyed—and a fortress. With the CatholicKings, Juana la Loca put the unit under Marbellauntil the arrival of Philip V.

From the 15th century through the 19th century, there washardly a population increase. In the past two centuries the population becamemore stable and slowly grew until the late 20th century.