Olvera, History

There is a lack of specific data and studies into the trueorigin of the town. This means it is to historians of conjecture; some think that the present city was an establishment named Caricus, about the time of the Celts.

Professor Ramos Santana posits that the legendary Cenosia,the original name of Olvera, located near the present city center and was knownas Vallehermoso (beautiful valley), existing at the time of the Visigoths.

In this area of the mountain range of Sierra de Lijar arenumerous camps and Roman remains. The archaeologist Lorenzo Perdigones’ wrote areport (1986) to show the existence of a Roman establishment in the area, datedthe end of third century BC.

Indeed, during the removal of some of the rubble, the foundationsof the city castle were found to be Roman. The original name of Olvera could be“Ilipa” (established by adjusting geographically in a map of Roman Spain,published in 1879, between Moronand Ronda).

But what is certain is that names such as Hippo and HippoNova, etc.

are likely names of the original village.

But the first demonstrably, reliable Olvera of origin iswithin Muslim documentation, in the mid-12th century, when it is chronicled asan outpost in the mountains called “WUBIRA” or “URIWILA” (year 1327), when KingAlfonso XI wrested it from the Arabs.

Some of the advances and episodes of great importance inSpanish history during the 19th century were echoes in Olvera; for instance,the revolution of September 1868, (known as “The Glorious One”), when (after a briefperiod as a Republic) the Monarchy granted Olvera, by Royal Decree on May 8,1877, the title of “City” by Alfonso XII, in gratefulness to certain horsesthat sped him from the town of Olvera to one of the Carlist wars.

The most recent event for historic Olvera was that it wasdeclared “A Protected Area of Artistic and Historical Importance” in 1983.

The years of the Dictatorship of Primo de Rivero (Franco)provided opportunities for the Olverenos, who benefit from the building of theJerez-Almargen railroad, which terminated within the municipality. The projectwas never finished. This is now a well-known “Via Verde,” a nature walk of some40 km.

At the present time Olvera is dedicated toagriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry, activities that are complementedby the tourist activities and the cooperatives starting in Olvera and reachingPuerto Serrano.

This new acquisition for the King of Castile was namedOlivera to commemorate the sea of olive trees that surround it. With time, the“I” was phonetically lost, giving rise to the present name.

In the middle of the 14th century, the town passed to DonAlfonso Perez de Guzman. It is known that Perez de Guzman in 1395, Guzmanarranged the marriage of his daughter with the son of the Muslim, Zunigaga.

Olvera was host to a detachment of Napoleonic troops, whowere constantly harassed by the activities of guerrillas from the town untilthe French retreat in 1812.

Subsequently, two stately houses had the dominion overOlvera, the last of which were Tellez Giron and the Dukes of Osuna. The latterwas the feudal lord until 1843, when the family went bankrupt.

As part of the Christian conquest plans from Seville, Olvera advancedpart of the strategy toward the Straits of Gibraltar to prevent thereinsurgence of Muslims. In one of the first expeditions, Christians lost thebanner of Sevillethat was in an Olvera castle.

After the negotiations that followed the surrender of thetown, Ibrahim-ibn-Utmain secured concessions in respect of the Moors of Olverathat each one of the inhabitants could keep their houses and goods.

The village was repopulated through a decree, a “Letter of Population,” issued on the August 1, 1327, in which all criminals and debtorscould, and had to, remain for a year within the borders of Nazari (Granada province?) inorder that their debt to society be removed.

Out of interest the oldest street in Los Angeles, California, is called Olvera Street,named after Augustin Olvera, an eminent personage of the city of Olvera. It is a verypopular market, visited by tourists worldwide, who have made the name Olvera awell-known word.

Also, Nicholas de Ribera “the old one” El Viejo, who wasborn in 1487 in Olvera, who took part in the conquest of Peru, and in 1535 was named thefirst Mayor of Lima.