History of Moraleda de Zafayona
In her book Moraleda de Zafayona from its Origins, María Encarnación Fernández López explains that it is highly likely that the town's name, Moraleda, derives from the abundance of mulberry trees used in the silk industry in an area known in ancient times as Campo de Zafayona (Zafayona Field). Regarding the term 'Zafayona', some authors, such as Malpica Cuello and Rodríguez Moreno, suggest that it could come from the Arabic 'fa al-ayun', meaning 'springs'.
The territory was first occupied in the Late Argaric Bronze Age (1450–1300 BC), in an area known as Cerro de la Mora. La Mora's origins are attributed to the economic intensification processes that occurred throughout the second millennium BC, when communities settled in areas with great agricultural potential, such as the banks of the Genil River.
A shift in the economic foundations began during the Late Bronze Age (1300–1200 BC), continuing into the Final Bronze Age (10th century–750 BC). These foundations became concentrated in specific groups and strategic locations within the Genil River Basin, such as Cerro de la Mora. This led to the displacement of traditional artisan copper workers by more powerful groups dedicated to trade or bronze production. It was these latter groups that transformed La Mora into a centre for producing important bronze metalwork, such as carp-tongue swords and elbow fibulae.
The architectural structures of this period demonstrate a reduced use of stone foundations, vegetal motifs and adobe cladding, as well as a greater reliance on exterior timber huts whose roofs were supported by posts. The settlement then expanded onto the lower slopes of the hill to maximise the benefits of trade facilitated by the Genil River.
The moment that the prehistoric settlement of Cerro de la Mora began to engage in commercial activities with the first Phoenician Mediterranean colonies and Tartessos marked the start of the Early Orientalising Phase. This period extended from the mid-eighth century BC (c. 750 BC) to the end of the seventh century BC (c. 675 BC). During this period, Phoenician colonists settled in the village. Wheel-thrown Phoenician pottery was imported alongside the indigenous pottery, which continued to be made by hand. In terms of construction, adobe bricks were used on stone foundations for square or rectangular buildings.
The Roman period spanned from 175 BC to the 3rd century AD. The High Imperial phase was the most significant period of Roman occupation of the site. During this period, the inhabitants reused and renovated the existing Iberian buildings to create a rural settlement, but this failed to match the status that the Iberians had previously achieved at La Mora. New latifundist forms of exploitation and subjugation of the Iberian inhabitants by the Roman conquerors led to the complete decline of La Mora in favour of new settlements around various Roman villas located near the Genil and Cacín rivers.
During the fifth and sixth centuries AD, the area that is now the province of Granada was divided into two provinces: Carthaginensis and Baetica. This administrative system was inherited from the imperial era. Moraleda was located within the Baetica province, whose population was predominantly Hispano-Roman with some small Visigothic groups. During the period of Muslim rule from the eighth to the thirteenth century, the lands of Moraleda, also known as the 'Campo de Zafayona', were linked to the city of Loja.
Following the Reconquista carried out by the Catholic Monarchs in the mid-fifteenth century, Moraleda became part of the territory of Granada and was administered through Chimeneas.
Moraleda de Zafayona did not achieve full independence until 1835 thanks to a royal decree promulgated during the regency of María Cristina de Borbón-Dos Sicilias. Nearly a century after the land registry conducted by the Marquis of Ensenada, Madoz described Moraleda de Zafayona in 1847 as a town with a town hall, diocese, territorial court and captaincy general of Granada.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Moraleda was plagued by poverty and scarcity. Most inhabitants continued to live in the Cave Quarter in very precarious conditions, while only the emerging bourgeoisie owned houses and land. Neither the Spanish Civil War nor the post-war period improved the village's situation, and it was not until the second half of the twentieth century that the local economy began to improve, thanks to contracts awarded for infrastructure projects such as the Cacín River canal and the construction of the Loreto neighbourhood.