History of Santa Fé
In its beginning, Santa Fé was a military camp of approximately 48ha created by the Catholic Monarchs in preparation for the final assault on the Nasrids (Arab dynasty) of the Kingdom of Granada. Out of the army camp grew an imposing town of bricks and mortar within a record time of just 80 days. The town’s structure follows the form of a cross based on two roads that intersect in the centre
The speed of the construction and the very name, Santa Fé, was part of the Monarchs strategy to show the Muslims their strength, faith, and determination to regain Granada. The protective wall, towers (notably the Tower of Santiago, on the eastern wall of the enclosure), and moat added around the town and Las Puertas, provided additional security and was another strategic ploy to showcase their supremacy to the Arabs.
A stone plaque commemorates the signing of the Capitulations of Santa Fé signed in Santa Fé on 17th April 1492 between King Fernando of Aragón and Queen Isabel of Castile and the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus. The Capitulations of Santa Fé collected the agreements between the Monarchs and Christopher Columbus regarding the expedition to the Indies. This meant an advance distribution between both parties of the conditions and benefits that the conquest of America would bring. Thus, in this document the Columbus was granted the titles of admiral, viceroy and governor general in all the territories that he discovered or won during his life, as well as a tenth of all the benefits obtained, naming his successors as heirs for life. He was also granted a tithe of all the merchandise that he found, won, and had in the conquered places. They were signed by the Monarchs’ secretary, Luis de Santángel, and is considered by some specialists as the first written document in America’s history.
In July 2009, the International Advisory Committee of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, at the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, agreed to include the “Capitulations of Admiral Christopher Columbus” - popularly known as the “Capitulations of Santa Fé” - in the register intended for the preservation and dissemination of documentary evidence of exceptional value and relevance of the World Documentary Heritage. The famous document, one of the most important in history, is found in the Archive of the Crown of Aragón (book 3,569).
However, this was only one document in a series of agreements and capitulations formalised by the Catholic Hispanic Monarchs in this town between the years 1491 and 1492. Another significant agreement was established with the Nasrid Monarch, Boabdil “El Chico” (Muhammad XI) for the delivery and capitulation of Granada on the 25th November 1491.
At the end of the 19th century, during the sugar industry boom, up to 25 sugar mills were built in the Vega de Granada. In the case of Santa Fé, the sugar mills were the Azucarera del Genil or La Purísima and the Azucarera Nuestro Señor de la Salud. The president of Azucarera del Genil was the senator from Almería, José Casinello Núñez.