History of Cijuela
Cijuela originated as a farmstead during the Muslim period. Two towers from this period were located in the municipality: one on what is now Calle Cervantes, of which no trace remains, and the Boldonar watchtower in the drylands, some remains of which are preserved. The former was destroyed in 1431 by the troops of Don Álvaro de Luna during the Battle of La Higueruela. During the fifteenth century, Cijuela also served as a residence for Boabdil’s sister, Ceti Haxa.
Following the Reconquista, the town was purchased by Don Francisco Bobadilla, the first mayor of Santa Fe, a town recently founded by the Catholic Monarchs. He paid six hundred Castilian doblas to the King’s sister for it. It was later transferred to the Duke of Abrantes, who passed it on to José Vílchez Gómez. Finally, it was distributed among peasants descended from the inhabitants of Boldonar or Boldomar.
According to the records, the population was no more than 40 in 1760. The first agricultural revolution began in 1776 with the cultivation of crops such as flax and hemp. Between 1780 and 1808, the area experienced significant demographic and economic growth, transforming from a hamlet into a town. However, it wasn’t until 1872 that it became an independent municipality with its own town hall. The second agricultural revolution took place from 1898 onwards and was based on the cultivation of sugar beet, making the province of Granada the eighth richest in Spain.