Berja
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History
Municipal AREA full of springs; this is the reason that its
population is dispersed in districts or dependent villages. It is
possibly of Iberian origin with the name Vergi (vergel). The
Carthaginians occupied all the Phoenician trading posts on this
coast around the VI century BC. The Romans called it Virgis. It was
Medina Barcha for the Moslems, from which its definitive name
originates.
Berja proceeds from three Moslem hamlets: Pago, El Zoco y Julbina.
With the Moorish uprising of 1568 and the subsequent expulsion in
1570, the AREA of Berja was repopulated with 200 people in the five
places that made up the municipality at that time: Capileira, Pago,
Julfina, Alcaudique y Beneji. Later, en 1883, Beninar, Darrical y
Lucainena were added.
Among the districts and dependent villages of the AREA, we can
mention:
Alcaudique, Beneji which has the archaeological remains of
Villavieja, Castala which according to tradition is where San
Tesifon, bishop and Patron Saint of Berja and Balanegra lived. This
is a coastal village which emerged in the XVI century in
compensation for the loss of coast due to the delimitation of Adra.
Berja suffered a series of vicissitudes at different times during
its history: a plague of rooks in the year 1576; a hurricane
destroyed part of its houses in 1623; two earthquakes almost
isolated the village in 1804 at which time the village was
renovated architecturally and replanned and an epidemic of cholera
decimated the population in 1834.
The XIX century was important for its strong economic development,
based on the workings of the lead mines, which today are closed,
and agriculture, namely the dessert grape.
Now, after a long period of recession, the economy is beginning to
wake up due to the transformation of the vines into a greenhouse
crop. Also, promising development is expected in the tourist
sector.
Eminent citizens
Antonio de Berrio, conqueror.
