History

Probably Huétor derives from the Arab term wadi, meaning "river". Santillana comes from the name given after the Christian conquest when the village acquires devotion to St Illán (San Ylián) or Santillana. It was a Villa de Señorí­o, owned by the Jesuits in Madrid.
The Moors uprising against the Catholic authority of King Phillip II in the 16th century was recorded in the chronicles that refer to Huétor-Santillán, which mention the burning and destruction of its church by Mudéjares rebels.