Send Gift Baskets to Parla, Spain

Paleolithic chert stone tools used by Stone Age people are the earliest evidence of human occupation. Approximately 200 CE marked the beginning of the arrival of nomadic people from the coast, who brought metalworking (copper), ranching, agriculture, and weaving skills to the area. It was primarily along the Humanejos stream that these early settlers settled.

Newly arrived Celtic tribes from central Europe increased the ranks of the local population during the 4th and 5th centuries. Among the advanced technologies brought by the Celts were ironworking and fired ceramics. Ranching and agriculture were the mainstays of the local economy.

The Carthaginians and Romans interrupted independent local development, recording the history of pre-Roman villages in the area. In addition to grave markers and coins, Roman artifacts are found locally.

After the Battle of Guadalete (711), the Islamic conquest of Hispania began, and Parla and its inhabitants became part of the Umayyad Caliphate. During the Reconquista, Parla once again appeared as an independent township.

A Spanish medieval territorial designation for land surrounding a village, the Alfoz of Madrid, covered the territory during the Reconquista. There were two significant villages in the area then: Parla to the north and Humanejos to the south. Approximately 1650 was the last year Humanejos existed.

As payment for the cardinal’s help in the fight against the Moors, King Alfonso XI of Castile formally ceded Parla to him in a letter written on January 6, 1338, in Trujillo. King Peter of Castile later endorsed the document on December 7, 1351.

Parla became home to many poor refugees after the Peninsular War. The township status is achieved around this time.