History of Estepona
What the guides leave out.
Independence in 1729, 124 fishermen of the 18th century, the mayor who built the seafront promenade and the first tourism website for Estepona. Real stories with names, dates and sources.
Browsing by era
Early Modern period
16th – 18th c.
- 1700–1800Portrait of a cityEstepona's 124 fishermen18th-century Estepona fits into a municipal census: 124 fishermen with traditional nets, vineyards, olive trees, grain and a winepress in every farmhouse. A human-scale city whose economy tourism had yet to invent.
- Siglo XVI – XVIICoastal historySeven watchtowers on permanent alertFrom the 16th century, Estepona's coast was defended by a system of seven watchtowers that warned of Barbary corsair attacks. They still stand today, spread across 21 kilometres of coastline, and are one of the most singular pieces of heritage in the region.
- Protegido como Bien de Interés Cultural desde 2009Underwater heritageFour cannons and a cannonball, with no shipwreck to claim themCañones del Saladillo is an underwater archaeological site off El Saladillo beach, by Matas Verdes, in the municipality of Estepona. According to the decree that protects it, it consists of two groups of cannons: a first group of three, located off Matas Verdes; and a second group of four large cannons and a cannonball. The decree is explicit on one point: "in principle they do not correspond to any shipwreck, because no associated material has been found" that would link them to a known sunken vessel. The site was listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, classified as an Archaeological Zone, by Decree 285/2009 of 23 June — a single ruling that protected fifty-six underwater sites along the whole Andalusian coast at once — published in the BOJA official gazette, issue 129, on 6 July 2009. Neither the decree nor any other official source consulted gives a precise date for the cannons.
Shared memory
Do you have a memory of Estepona worth telling?
Many stories from this town only live on in family memory. If you have a photo, a document or a real story with a name and a date, write to us.