HISTORY OF OHANES
The first evidence of human presence in the area dates back to the Neolithic era, in the so-called Culture of the Caves, where the Nieles and Almecena caves particularly stand out. Ceramic and imprint remains from the fifth millennium BC have been discovered. The Argar Culture and the progressive Iberian, Phoenician and Carthaginian hordes gave way to Roman domination, opening a crucial historical corridor between Baetica and the Mediterranean. The proximity of the Roman road that linked Gádor, Abla, Fiñana and Guadix significantly influenced the population of the area.
During the Muslim dominion, the development of a population began in Ohanes and Yemenis were the first to arrive in the area, however, maintaining continuous confrontations with the Muladíes and Mozarabic. In 912, Abderramán III assumed the Caliphate of Córdoba and ended these confrontations. When the Kingdoms of Taifas were established, the Alpujarra area was divided into Tahas, and Ohanes formed part of the Taha of Hichar until it was replaced by Canjáyar. On January 2, 1492, the Capitulations were signed, through which the area passed into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs, ending its Muslim rule.
In the sixteenth century, the Moorish rebellions of the Alpujarra and Valle de Lecrín took place, the first being in the early 1500s. Between 1568 and 1570, new rebellions took place, this time under the command of Aben Humeya. The Moorish uprising extended throughout the Kingdom of Granada and Felipe II entrusted Juan de Austria to end it, which occurred when it was quashed in the town of Güéjar Sierra. In the census carried out by the Marqués de la Ensenada, between 1572 and 1752, the population of Ohanes had 500, comprised of the neighbourhoods of El Alto, El Medio, El de la Plaza, El Mesón, Las Heras and Puerto.
In June 1810, during the War of Independence, the Mayor of Ohanes, nicknamed “El Negro”, Francisco Moreno, rose up against the French occupation along with the Mayors of neighbouring towns. The population’s support for the rebels caused the French army to loot and later, in 1812, they burnt the municipal grain deposit. The introduction of the Ohanes grape took place in the nineteenth century with major economic rewards for the region.
