History of Cúllar Vega
This area of the Granada plain is known by the names Cular, Cúllar de la Vega and Cúllar Vega. The name first appears in a document from the twelfth century. The name Cúllar derives from the Arabic word qûllar, which seems to come from the Latin collum, meaning 'high ground'. This suggests that Cúllar may have originated as a Roman villa.
During the Nasrid Kingdom, the population was dedicated to irrigated agriculture, which the Muslims brought to its highest levels of refinement.
With the conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the Muslim community remained settled in the area without significant changes until the reign of Felipe II, when the Moriscos were expelled from Cúllar. The repopulation of the Kingdom began in 1571, and a few years later, the boundaries of Cúllar were officially demarcated and established, resulting in a territory virtually identical to the one we know today. During these years, agriculture was the main source of income, with livestock farming being merely symbolic.
In the eighteenth century, the lands of Cúllar were divided into three main categories: irrigated land, dryland farming and vineyards. As most of the land belonged to people from other areas, there were many day labourers. The Church also owned a significant amount of land. Livestock farming remained insignificant. By the mid-eighteenth century, the town had around 140 residents, a figure which had risen to 860 by 1795.
In the nineteenth century, the confiscation of Church property also affected the town.
A few anecdotes stand out in the present century, such as the flood of 1921, known as 'La venida de las Andas de Gabia'. In 1936, the town supported the Second Republic, and some residents suffered repression at the hands of the Nationalists or their supporters during the Spanish Civil War, resulting in the deaths of several people. This repression also targeted victims from neighbouring villages who were killed in the town. Some residents who supported the Nationalists also died in the war, not by firing squad but as a consequence of the conflict itself.
In the last decade, the town has undergone many changes. Its population is growing thanks to its favourable location in Granada, close to the capital and situated in a fertile plain, making it an attractive place to live.