Torremolinos has a history that dates back to the Paleolithic and Bronze and Copper Ages. Apparently, prehistoric man inhabited the limestone caves that are numerous, found around the mountains nearest the town. Human skulls were found in these very caves. One of the bigger caves, named the Tapada cave by archeologists, bore evidence of a large Bronze era settlement existing around 1500 BC.
In the 8th to 6th centuries BC, the Phoenicians inhabited the area. They were a culture of fishermen, farmers, and traders. They harvested fish from the sea, salted and traded the fish with neighboring communities. On the northern edge of Torremolinos, the site of an ancient Phoenician island city can be found in Cerro de Villar.
In 1498, Málaga was beseiged by the troops of the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. At the time, the original name of the Torremolinos region was Molinos de la Torre (“mills of the tower”). Then, in 1502, the Torremolinos territory was annexed to Málaga and was renamed to Torres de Pimentel (“towers of Pimentel”), in honor of Rodrigo Pimentel, the count of Benavente who aided the Catholic army during the siege of Málaga. The town became a thriving fishing village with its “center” at La Carihuela, east of the main town area.
The late 1950s saw Torremolinos, a small fishing village, transform into the Costa del Sol’s first major resort town. From then on, Torremolinos’ development and popularity continued to increase.
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