CASARES


Casares is said to come from the Arabic word "Caxara" although legend has it that it is derived from Caesar.

 The municipality of Casares dates from pre-Roman times. We can find traces of our ancestors of the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods in the caves of the Crestellina, Utrera and Bermeja mountains and in the towns of Ferrete and Utrera.
In neighbouring Alechipe we find the ruins of Lacipo, a town once surrounded by walls, which survived from 600 B.C. until 300 A.D. Many artefacts of the Roman age have been found, including coins minted there, pottery and two altars dedicated to Youth and Fortune.
There are Roman bridges in Hedionda and aqueducts in Crestellina. Legend tells us that Casares was founded by Julius Caesar in gratitude for regaining his health when he had a bath in the sulphuric waters of the Hedionda Baths. It is said that he ordered the construction of the bath which is still used today, they are called Bañs de la Hedionda.

Signs of the Arabic age are evident too, for example, the castle, a strategic stronghold, part of which is of Muslim construction.
In 1361 the Christian king Pedro I, the Cruel, and the defeated Grenadian king Muhammad V met here to sign the "Casares Pact".
In 1485 the conquest of Ronda resulted in the people of Casares changing from the Muslim religion to Catholicism.

 ln 1570 during the rebellion of the Moors there was a meeting there between the Muslim leaders and the Christian Duke of Arcos, which put an end to these uprisings.
A suitable base for guerrilla warfare Casares was never occupied by the Napoleonic troops

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