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The first tribe we have some evidence of was the Turdulo tribe, around 1,500 B.C. The Phoenicians came later and called the place "Escua", which means "The Principal Head",and it is believed to be these who began building the town walls. When finished, these made the town one of the most difficult to conquer, and during the Roman period it was known as "Arx Dómina". The Moors finallynamed it "Medina Arxiduna", from which it gets its present name. It was in Archidona that one of the most brilliant eras in Spanish history began: the Omeya dynasty in Andalucía, and it was here too, at the end of the 9thcentury and beginning of the 10th century, that the rebellion of the Muladíes and the Berbers took place, more usually known as the Mozarab rebellion, under the leadership of the Muladi Omar Ben Hafsun.Peace came back to the town under Abd el-Rahman III, first Caliph of Cordoba.
The influence of the Cordobans was decisive for the well-being of Archidona, and commerce, industry and agriculture flourished. Following the political disorder of the Taife reign, Archidona and Antequera went into decline, and the walls of Archidona were eventually destroyed. The castle was conquered from the decadent Granada rulers in 1462, and the town we know today began to take shape in the 16th century. The first important urban centre was the Villa Baja, built on the initiative of the Ureña family, having achieved the sort of political power that had been enjoyed by the people of the Villa Alta. The new colonists settled in the calle Carrera district, which was always the focal point of the town. The hermitages of Santa Catalina (later Convento de la Victoria), Columna and El Nazareno were built about that time.more...
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