The precise location of the roman fishing and agriculture
settlements of Salduba and Silniana is uncertain. Silniana has been
linked to Estepona but more likely occupied the spot close to what
is now San Pedro Alcántara. It was destroyed by a seaquake
in the fourth century AD. As for Silniana some commentators put
it firmly on the sight of modern Marbella.
The town's modern name is probably derived from
the Moorish Astabbuna. Because of the massive redevelopment , there
are no substantive roman remains to be seen in the town today although
a few foundations and ceramics have been found.
If Estepona was not Salduba or Silniana, we have
no record of its name before the arrival of the Moors. In spite
of its undoubted antiquity, it is totally absent from written historical
records until the Califate era. Towards its end the town had
already
seen better days, since Aben al Jhatib, writing in the 14th century,
tells us that it was in a state of decadence, that its monuments
had largely disappeared, and that it was living on its reputation
as a source of delicacies - presumably fishy ones. Since monuments
need to be erected before they can enjoy the sophisticated luxury
of falling down. Estepona must have been a place of some importance
before the Arabs came, or during the earlier part of the moorish
era. The fact that previous writers chose to ignore its existence
is something of an historical mystery.
Estepona like so many villages in Southern Spain
was fought over by the moors and the Christians until it was finally
captured by the Enrique IV of Castile in 1457. He ordered the building
of a church on the site of the old Mosque.
It was around this church that the community began
to grow, On this site today is the Simón Fernandez school
and all that survives of the church is the clock tower. Work
on
building the castle of San Luis began at the turn of the century.
It was intended as a defence against the North African Berber
pirates.
Finally, under a charter of 1502, when the infant
town housed no more than 25 families, the land was divided among
the victorious new colonists from northern Spain, and as a result
many of the side streets around the castle and the church we built
between 1507 and 1600.
Until 1729 Estepona had only been an administrative
district of Marbella, in that year it was granted its own charter
by King Filipe V.
Estepona entered the twentieth century as a village
of 9000 farmers and fishermen. A census of 1940 records other professions
as well. Namely eight weavers, five rice manufacturers, two tailors,
two blacksmiths, a gunman, a printer, a lawyer, two vets, a couple
of cabinet makers, three dressmakers, two customs agents, two midwives,
and no less than five doctors. There was a hardware store, shoe
shop, pharmacy, a bank, a college, a sawmill, and a cinema. There
were two cake shops, three inns, seven taverns, one restaurant,
one refreshment stall, a bodega, and a single hotel.
The constant redevelopment of the town throughout
the centuries is indicative not only on its strategic significance
but on the continuing importance of its agriculture and fishing.
The towns present renaissance as a leisure centre appears to ensure
Estepona a prosperous future.
The above text was reproduced from the the book
"In Search of Andalucia" by kind permission of the authors
David Wood and Chris Wawn. Click
here to order your copy from our online book store.
