HISTORY OF HUELMA
Huelma is located just 3km west of the Jandulilla River, which forms a natural transit corridor from north to south between the Alto Valle del Guadalquivir valley, Vega de Granada and Hoya de Guadix, which are the areas where historically there were the largest and oldest concentrations of population. Archeological finds from the Santurario del Cortijo del Pajarillo and the Sótar ravine date from the Iberian period, whilst Roman tombs, tombstones, coins and terra sigillata ceramics related to agricultural activities and iron mining have been located, in addition to the Roman aqueduct of Fuente de la Peña. Constructive remains of early medieval origin have also been found.
A settlement has existed on the site of Huelma since the ninth century. During the Caliphate of Córdoba de al-Andalus, it was located on the northern edge of Cora de Elvira and was known as Walma. The population of Andalusian Huelma was made up of the five ethnic groups which characterised all cities of this period (Jews, Berbers, Arabs, Muladis and Mozarabs). Martos Quesada estimates that the population would have been around 40-50 in the ninth century, expanding to 80-100 during the tenth. After the fall of the Caliphate, Huelma lost historical prominence and fell into the hands of the Zirí Kingdom of Granada. This was a disastrous period of deterioration and depopulation for the town.
In the thirteenth century, the town regained its splendour, becoming a border enclave between the Christian Kingdoms and the Kingdom of Granada. In 1245, the Castilian King Fernando III and King Alhamar of Granada signed the Pact of Jaén, establishing what would be the border between the two kingdoms for almost two centuries. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the town was located in the border territory and raids and incursions by the Almogáraves of the Crown of Castilla were frequent, so the population began to organize itself around the castles of Huelma and Solera.
During the Christian conquest, the town changed hands several times, until in 1438 it was finally surrendered by the Major Captain of the Giennese border, Don Íñigo López de Mendoza, first Marquis of Santillana. After this and other defeats, the Nasrid King Muhammed IX of Granada requested a truce from the Crown of Castile. In addition to Huelma, the Torre del Lucero also surrendered, and the Nasrid Kings signed a new truce until 1442. In 1463, Enrique IV handed over the Lordship and possession of Huelma to Don Diego de la Cueva, of the Casa de Albunquerque. In 1509, the pastures of Fuente Leyva, Cabrita and Sierra Mágina (Mata Bejid) were divided into neighbourhoods.
During the War of Independence, once the Despeñaperros pass and the city of Jaén were lost (1808), Hermenegildo Bielsa, the first General Commander of the Jaén Guerrillas, highlighted syndicates in Pozo Alcón, Huelma, Cabra del Santo Cristo, Quesada and Beas de Segura, with the intention of bothering the French army with continuous war actions. On this date the Spanish Army was in Elche, so Bielsa’s parties were surrounded by the French army. In 1834 the judicial district of Huelma was created, which included Cabra del Santo Cristo, Larva, Tarahal (Huesa), Bélmez de la Moraleda, Cambil, Campillo de Arenas, Cárchel, Carchelejo and Noalejo. In 1965, with the improvement of communications between the populations, it was added to the judicial district of Jaén.
The town of Solera was assimilated into the municipality of Huelma in 1975.