Malagón is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Spain in the

Province of Ciudad Real The province of Ciudad Real () is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Córdoba, Badajoz, and Toledo. It is partly located ...

in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Castilla–La Mancha Castilla–La Mancha (, ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Province of Albacete, Albacete, Province of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Province of Cuenca, Cuenca, Province of Guadalajar ...

. The municipality has a population of 7,754 inhabitants ( INE 2024).

Geography

Malagón is located in the northern sector of the

. It is surrounded by a large plain interrupted to the northwest by the

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

of Malagón, belonging to the Montes de Toledo. The Bañuelos River, a tributary of the

Guadiana The Guadiana River ( , , , ) is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from la Mancha and the e ...

, runs through its municipality.

History

The settlements in the Malagón area are very ancient, dating back to

Prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...

(some archaeological evidence dates it to the

Lower Paleolithic The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3.3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears ...

), highlighting the site of "La Cruz de El Cristo" (The Cross of Christ), considered the most important

visigothic The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

necropolis in the province. In the urban center, remains from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, particularly from the Iberian,

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, and

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

cultures, have been discovered on the site of the vanished castle. Malagón, a crossroads and strategic point of access to the

and

Calatrava la Vieja Calatrava la Vieja (formerly just ''Calatrava'') is a Middle Ages, medieval site and original nucleus of the Order of Calatrava. It is now part of the Archaeological Parks (''Parques Arqueológicos'') of the Castile-La Mancha, Community of Castile- ...

, was an enclave of the Royal Way of La Plata that connected Toledo to Córdoba and served as a detour for travelers on their way to

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

via Almagro. Vid_y_olivo

Since the end of the 12th century, Malagón was a commandery of the Order of Calatrava, a situation that lasted until the middle of the 16th century, when, after becoming property of the Crown and being named Lordship of Malagón, it was sold by King Charles I to D. Antonio Ares Pardo, Marshal of Castile. This change in the situation of the neighbors gave rise to disputes between the Lord and the neighbors that were resolved with the signing of the Act of Concord in 1552, which gave rise to the legal peculiarity currently enjoyed by the famous "Estados del Duque" (States of the Duke).

Economy

Malagón has a primarily agricultural economy, with vineyards and olive groves. Its cheese and wine industries stand out.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malagon Municipalities in the Province of Ciudad Real