La Alpujarra was successively settled by Ibero-Celtic peoples, by the Roman Empire, and by the Visigoths. In the 8th century theMoors conquered southern Spain and the region remained in their hands for over 800 years but it was in the last 150 years of that period that it became heavily populated as the Reconquista conquered all Muslim controlled lands in the mid 13th century, except the Emirate of Granada. The region became a refuge of the Moors, where, as Moriscos, they maintained a distinct culture for nearly 150 years after the fall of Granada in 1492.
During the sixteenth century there were several uprisings in the area after the Moors were forced to choose between conversion to Christianity or expulsion. One of the Spanish expeditions against the Moriscos was led by Philip's illegitimate half-brother Don John of Austria. As a historical curiosity, the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, residing in Spain after the Spanish Conquest of Peru, took part in that expedition.
Following the Morisco Revolt (Second Rebellion of the Alpujarras) in 1568, the Moorish population was evicted from the region and dispersed. By order of the Spanish crown two Moorish families were required to remain in each village in order to demonstrate the workings of the terracing and irrigation systems on which the district's agriculture depends to the new inhabitants, introduced from other parts of Spain.. The problems with the Moriscos did not disappear and eventually the entire Morisco population of Spain was expelled to north Africa in 1609, an event which seriously damaged the economy of the region.
The influence of the Moorish population can be seen in the distinct cubic architecture (reminiscent of Berber architecture in Morocco'sAtlas Mountains), the local cuisine, the local carpet weaving, and the numerous Arabic place names
