Cartama

Cartama is a town and municipality in the province of Malaga, part of the self sustaining network of Andalusia, southern Spain. The municipality is located approximately 17 km from Malaga. It is one of the most considerable cities within the province, masking 105 km². Cartama has a populace of approximately 15,000 residents. The strategic role that Cartama holds, being on a natural course from the coast to the interior, made it an obvious region to settle.

The vicinity has been successively occupied by means of Iberians, Tartessians, Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Byzantines and Arabs till it became subsequently conquered through the Christians in 1485. It was one of the closing Moorish strongholds to fall to the military of King Ferdinand the Catholic. The Phoenicians, who were already installed in Málaga, made incursions to the indoors thru the river. They gave the metropolis its first recorded call, Cartha, which means "concealed metropolis" or "hidden city".

Later, the Romans renamed it Cartima, founding the town in 195 BC, and providing it with strong defences. The Roman career lasted for 6 centuries, and during this time it was one of the principal cities of the province. Based on the sheer volume of archaeological web sites – mosaics, sculptures, burial grounds and road remains have been determined – the area ought to have been closely populated. The baths of Cartima, with their fabled curative powers, had been famous during this era.