Ronda due to its geographical situation has a large story to tell, many civilizations have inhabited it through time; each of them have left a piece of their culture and life.

Even in prehistoric times Ronda was inhabited, a proof of this are the rests found in el Valle del Genal and del Guadairo, in the Cave of Pileta (Benaoján) where we can see remainings of prehistoric cave paintings, humans and tools that date from the Superior Paleolithic to the Neolithic.

The city of Ronda itself had its origins with the Celts which named it Arunda around year 600 BC. They mixed themselves with the Iberian people and conquered other towns occupying the whole territory of Ronda.

Later on the Phoenicians established in an Iberian village close to Arunda, they occupied it and called it Acinipus, it became an important location situated between Malaga and Cadiz, both Phoenician colonies.

After the battle of Alalia (535 BC.) the Greeks conquered the Phoenician colony naming it Runda. During the Carthaginian period, our people took care and fed the Carthaginians in a fight that lasted 300 years with the Greeks and the Romans.

The Romans fight in the peninsula and after the Second Punic War they expel Carthaginians and social, political and economical changes start to take place in the mountain chain; in the year 197 BC. Ronda became one of the 29 most important cities of the empire in Betic territory, the same way as Anicipo where habitants reached the same privileges as the citizens of the Roman Empire. The castle of Laurus is built as a strategic symbol of defense.

During all this time Arunda and Anicipus are witnesses of the fights and incursions, amongst other things, of the Romans and their enemies, mostly the Celt-Iberian tribes and the Hispanic whose favors and alliances were envied by the roman leaders in the city, amongst them, Ertorius and Pompeius who ended up battling, Sertorius destroys Arunda and builds a new city unifying all of Hispania in language, commerce and development terms. Arunda fed from the traditions and manifests of the Romans up to the arrival of invading towns like the Suevos, Vandalos and Alanos which destroy and rob both Arunda and Acinipus, later on the same thing would happen with the Visigoths.

The Byzantine Greeks search in the mountain chain for what their predecessors occupied, they find the ruins of Runda and Acinipus, seeing this last one with more possibilities they occupy it and build the city of Runda, but the city does not stay in calm for long, the Visigoths will occupy it, and in times of Suitila it will be abandoned and converted into a rural zone, dissipating the old city of Acinipio which is traditionally called "The Old Ronda". Meanwhile, Roman-Visigoth Arunda keeps defending the coast from the arrival of the Berbers.

In the year 712, General Musa Ben Nusayr arrives to Spain and instead of joining Lieutenant Tariq Ben Ziyad conqueror of Gibraltar, Algeciras, Ecija, Cordoba, etc... who defeated the Visigoth king Don Rodrigo; he preferred the conquest of cities like Medina Sidonia, Seville, Carmona or Ronda, this way his son Abd al-Aziz conquers Ronda and takes over the Castle of Laurel in the year 713. He orders the construction of a city named Izna-Rand-Onda over the ruins that were left over. Giving the city a great importance in communications and the future union of the North African territories and the Emirate of Cordoba. It becomes one of the capitals of Tacoronna, one of the five regions in which the south of Andalusia was divided, reaching all the mountain lands and the great city.

During the first years of the Muslim period the population of the mountain chain of Ronda consisted on the natives descending from Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Hebrews and African tribes like the Walhasa, with a minority of Arabic families too.

This mix originated frequent disputes against the Cordoba's Emirates.

We must highlight the role of Umar-Ibn-Hafsun who managed to combine the differences between Muslims and Christians against the abuses of the Arabic nobility, trying to independence the territories. Umar-Ibn-Hafsun was born in the year 854 in the farmhouse of Torrecilla, close to Parauta, from a noble family of Goth-Christian origin, he revealed against the power of the Omeyas, and kept them under control between 899 and 917. His base was situated in the Abdalagis, Ardales and Alora valley and his fame extended more every time amongst the population, whose wish was to unite with his troops with the purpose of fighting for freedom and independence. He managed to control the whole province of Malaga, part of Cadiz and Algeciras and the provinces of Granada and Jaen also followed his orders. He moved up to Cordoba, conquered Cabra and they even wanted to name him the Emir of Spain. Abd-Al-Rahman III tried to beat him without success, Umar died without being defeated in his fortress in Bobastro in 917. Even so, his descendents kept going on with his mission until ten years later when the Caliph of Cordoba beat them and destroyed everything he had had achieved.

Bobastro’s Fortress

In the following years confrontations take place, civil wars that make the great caliphate of occidental Omeya fall, dividing itself in thirty kingdoms of Taifas; this way between 1014 and 1016 Abu-Nur created the Kingdom of Taifa of the Banu Ifran of Ronda, naming the new city Madinat Runda. During his government he improved considerably the city and the towns in the mountain chain building important constructions like mosques, palaces, baths and murals of this time, like the doors of Almocábar to the south and of Xijara on the east. After his death his son Abu-Nasar took his place, it lasted a short while because he was murdered by the ambitious king of Seville al-Muthadid, Ronda became part of the Sevillian Empire, being the most loved and important city to it.

Map of the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula

Spain remains under the Muslim government until 1212 when the Catholic Kings beat them on the battle of las Navas de Tolosa, the Christian re-conquest starts. During the following years, the Arabs are betrayed and ask emir Abu Yusuf Yaqub in Faith founder of los marinidas, Ronda is reinforced by them in the year 1275, twenty years later they return to Morocco and Madinat Ronda is given back to King Mohammad III but one of the most influent families in Ronda, the Banu al-hakim do not accept and declare themselves an independent city. Ronda becomes an impossible zone, tightly surrounded by walls and wanted by both Christians and Arabs, situated strategically between the kingdom of Granada and the way to Morocco. Alfonso XI had to retire after four days of fighting in Ronda and burning the fields and wine lands of the mountains zone he could not defeat Ronda's people and enter the city. Even so, the Christian menace become more and more unstoppable with the time, and to counterfeit it they call for the help of Abomelik who installs his court in Ronda between 1222 and 1338 when he died by the hand of Alfonso XI's troops. During his government the city developed considerably reaching a great splendor, constructions like the Alhama in el Arrabal Viejo, the Bridge, the stair of mina with 360 steps and the oil and flour mills that supplied the city.

After his death Ronda will see itself involved in the conflicts and alliances of the Nazarites. During the 15th century Ronda suffered a declivity caused by the continuous attempts of Christian troops to take over the city, which had low success due to the strong walls and defenses of the city; in the end, in the year 1485 Ferdinand the Catholic after carefully planning, both strategically and militarily, a re-conquest he takes over the Algarbe of Malaga to the west and later on the 22nd of May of that same year he entered Ronda, after the Arabic troops left for Malaga, the most under protected city at that point.

One of the most decisive factors in the takeover of Ronda, more important even than the betrayal, was the use of heavy artillery situated in strategic points of the city: destroying the main tower of the castle, the gate of Almoncabar and another entrance by the east, around los Tejares. The people of Ronda at the time suffered seven days of attacks without water or supplies. The fall of Ronda supposed the fall of the rest of the villages of the zone of Malaga.

The 24th of May of 1485, Ferdinand V of Aragon enters the city and the remodeling of it starts, the old mosque became the Church of Incarnation, in the ruins of the Ochava Tower the Church of the Holy Spirit was built, the Hermitage of the Ascension, they built monasteries, repaired the walls, etc., they divided the lands between nobles and knights and the government was formed.

Ronda would have thirteen chiefs and would be divided in five areas: Saint Mary of the Incarnation, Holy Spirit, Santiago, Saint John the Baptist, Saint John Evangelist and Saint Sebastian. The laws would be the same as in Seville.

The Tomb of Prince John of Ronda it became and it was a lordship for Prince John future heir of the crown and Prince of Astoria and his wife Margaret of Austria, who after her husband's death decided to live in Ronda until her departure to the Netherlands 20 years later.

During this period of time in Spain there are several revolts one after another while Ronda keeps loyal to the command of the King, that is why the solicitor of Ronda at the time, Luis Méndez Sotomayor, said "Oh, Ronda, loyal and strong" phrase that would later on appear on the coat of arms that the Catholic Kings gave to the city the 16th of September of 1521. In 1547 the emperor added the two columns of Hercules to his coat of arms with the saying "Non Plus Ultra", which later on Ronda would adapt to its city's coat of arms taking away the "Non", consolidating since then until our days.

Ronda's Coat of Arms

During the 16th and 17th century the city started changing to the way we know it today; Madinat, the main part was called "La Ciudad" (The City); the "Barrio Alto" (High Neighborhood) started being called "del Espiritu Santo" (of the Holy Spirit); and the Barrio Bajo (Low Neighborhood) was called "de San Miguel" (of Saint Michael). The new neighborhoods of el Mercadillo and San Francisco became the centre of social and economical development, they build churches, monasteries, inns, taverns... But it will be in the 18th century, without defensive worries, when the city would develop towards the future, stockbreeding, mining and commerce enrich the city, the population increased considerably and monuments like the Bullring, the New Bridge or the Gate of Phillip V are built.

However, the course of history changes again in 1810 when the French troops arrive commanded by Joseph Bonaparte who stays in what today is "El Colegio de Santa Teresa" (Saint Theresa's School). Even though they did not suffer a great opposition, it must be highlighted that more than 1400 people from Ronda joined the troops of Seville and Granada in their fight with the French who were defeated in the battle of Bailen making Joseph Bonaparte leave Madrid while Napoleon took over his troops, from this moment the whole resistance would focus on the mountain chain creating guerrilla groups that forced the French to keep one of their divisions in Ronda under the control of General Boussain, who died shot in the outskirts of Ronda.

Battle of Bailén

The war held with the French had as a consequence the destruction of buildings such as the Alcázar, the mills, the crops, taking the population into a precarious situation that led to the gathering of pirates and smugglers on the route to Gibraltar until the beginning of the 20th century.

After the disaster for independence times of remerging came to Ronda under the power of Ferdinand III, the liberal people of Ronda began participating actively in Ronda's political, cultural and social life.

Amongst the most emblematic people we can highlight Ríos Rosas or Giner de los Ríos, founder of the "Free Institution", Ronda became the first city of the province of Malaga to have a Municipal Corporation with a Republican majority in 1891.

During the 19th century Ronda was visited by important people such as the Dutch and Duchess of Montpensier, the Empress Eugenia of Montijo, etc. It is a century marked by the droughts, the social problems, revolts and disorders, and a great political, social and cultural motivation, the first newspapers appear.

The 20th century constitutes a time of development darkened by the Spanish Civil War and its effects. Everything that took place in Spain during this time had a direct repercussion on the life of people in the mountain chain.

After the wars with the French, the military force of the city does not recover until the end of the 19th century with the arrival of a cavalry regiment and a battalion of sappers, Ronda was involved in the war against Morocco, the city was also one of the instruction camps of the University's militia since the postwar times until 1972, today occupied by the 4th Flag of the Legion.

King Alfonso XIII would come to Ronda the 4th of March of 1909, in May of that year the Espinel Theatre was inaugurated. The city gets supplied of water through a pipe system with potable water and a new cemetery is built same as the hotels Queen Victoria, the Royal, Polo, Gibraltar and the Commerce.

The Savings Bank of Ronda is founded and becomes the first savings entity in Andalusia until the fusion of Saving Banks in 1990. In 1919, Ronda becomes the city where the bases of Andalusian nationalism are set, as well as the creation of the Andalusian coat of arms and its flag. It becomes a progressive city and based on commerce several factories, meeting point and cafes are created...

The crisis of the 50s after the Spanish Civil War gave place to the migration of people in the mountain chain decreasing considerably the population as well as the economic development. Today it is considered an idyllic place where every day of the year tourists are received, the service sector is on a boom and its population is increasing due also to the touristic development of the surroundings and the good communications with the bordering cities.
 

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