antas...

ancient settlement

The agricultural wealth of Antas was discovered early in neolithic times, as we know from archeological remains discovered in EI Aljoroque, EI Garcel and La Pernera, where a slate idol was unearthed that gave the area its name. However, it was in the Bronze Age that Antas became the centre of a prehistoric empire with the establishment of Argar, and the Argarica culture which rolled out across southeastern Spain between 1900 and 1300 BC. Legendary Belgian archaeologist Luis Siret discovered an entire city, in which the formula for making bronze was kept secret by the city fathers, using this to ensure their dominance over other settlements such as Fuente Alamo in Cuevas del Almanzora and Gatas in Turre.

After the decline of Argar, the population of Antas fell dramatically, remaining small throughout the Roman and Muslim periods. During the Reconquest by Ferdinand and Isabella, some families of mudejars (Muslims under Catholic rule) around Vera were permitted to settle in Antas. In this way, the town began to grow again, reaching a population of more than 800, producing food and supplies for the larger city of Vera. After the War of the Alpujarras the Antas Muslims were expelled, with Christian families, primarily from Murcia being brought in to repopulate the town. This created animosity with the residents of Vera because, among other things, Vera's drinking water was sourced in Antas. To some extent this situation was resolved in the eighteenth century when Antas became independent of Vera. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Antas consisted of 318 houses in the old city, 206 around the outskirts, and official buildings housing the council chamber and jail. The church was dedicated to the Conception, and patron saints named as San Roque and the Virgen de la Cabeza.

Agriculture was the base of the economy, with production centred on cereal crops, wine and fruit. Soon the population swelled to 2300. Reportedly Antas had 12 grain mills, and some of those still survive. Today Antas is dedicated essentially to agriculture and service industries, and offers opportunities for industry as well as tourism. With a population of 2700, an area of almost 100 square kilometres is surrounded by the Llanos de la Ballebona in a sedimentary river basin which provides excellent agricultural land. Overlooking the area is the Cabezo de Marla, the result of volcanic activity, and the mountain range of the Filabres, in which there are many marble quarries.

While excavating around Antas, Luis Siret and Pedro Flores Garda discovered the Cave of the Serron, containing prehistoric silica and fossils dating back to 100,000 BC. The main building of interest in Antas is the Templo Parroquial de la Virgen de la Cabeza, built in the seventeenth century. And in El Real there is a 100-metre irrigation aqueduct built at the beginning of the twentieth century.