Mar Menor » History

The first traces of the civilisations living in the Mar Menor date back to Palaeolithic times, although the ones we have more details about are from Roman and Arabian times.

The Romans were very fond of this area, where they developed a strong salt product industry. There was also some heavy maritime traffic, which makes us think that this was mainly an industrial settlement. This traffic was possible because in Roman times the Mar Menor was basically connected to the Mediterranean Sea. With time it has suffered a slow and gradual closing and its current appearance started to form itself about 1000 years ago.

Some ancient chronicles, such as the Book of Hunting by Alfonso X and the Chronicles by Philip II mention the richness in fauna and the beautiful landscape in this area. There was a wide variety of fauna species, Ciervo Island (island of the dear) preserves its name because this animal used to inhabit it. In the Middle Ages there used to be an abundance of this species along the coast of the Mar Menor and some of them managed to get to the islands. Romans called it Belich and referred to it as a port of refuge even for large ships, as it was much deeper.

Only some shepherds and fishermen were living in these shores when Alfonso X conquered the kingdom of Murcia in the 13th century. The Berber pirates often attacked so it was not advisable to stay for long periods of time. Only since the conquest of Granada a slow and long repopulation process began.

In 1266 Alfonso X stated that the inhabitants of Murcia were obliged to aid the peasants and fishermen on the shores when the Moors arrived. The victims would send smoke signals from the turrets that went all the way to Murcia and the tower of Santa Catalina church was finally the one in charge of warning the population.

The incentives and exemptions awarded during the reign of Alfonso X encouraged some nobles and knights from Aragón, Cataluña and Murcia to settle down in the area forming small and scattered centres of population that still preserve their names and surnames, such as Pacheco, Roldán, Pagán, etc.