Villa Ciscarejo Country house between orange groves in Gádor (Almería)

Over 18,000 years ago, the first settlers settled in the rich and fertile region. From this period come the first remains of prehistoric civilizations, which left their mark in places such as Cueva de Ambrosio, with remains of Paleolithic habitat, or in the form of the region's rich cave paintings. In fact, of the 79 sites with cave paintings in Andalusia, 25 are in the Los Vélez district of Almería and all have been declared Heritage of Humanity.
This was followed by peoples such as: the Iberians, Romans, Visigoths and Muslims. The district's strategic location, in the north of the province and close to Granada and Murcia, fascinated the Romans, who built the Via Augusta, which crossed the district, a route intended to promote the economic development of the region.

The site of Villar in Chirivel, where a beautiful sculpture of Dionisios from the 2nd century BC, has been preserved from the time of Roman occupation and has become a symbol of the place.
For the Muslims, the district served as a defensive fortress to stop Christians who wanted to advance into the Kingdom of Granada. The castle in Vélez Blanco would actually become one of the most difficult and impregnable fortresses of that time.
After the peaceful handover of Vélez Blanco to the Catholic Monarchs in 1488, Pedro Fajardo y Chacón was named Marquis of Los Vélez in 1506, who would begin the construction of the slender castle that presides over the town.
Vélez Rubio came later to the empire of the Marquis of Los Vélez, as did María and Chirivel, whose origins go back to a group of country houses owned by Señorío Vélezano.