San Jose del Valle

San Jose del Valle beginnings are traced back to the seventh century, about the time when the Moors occupied this area. The town was a defensive post of Hisn Tabul.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Christian monarchs conquered the town and expelled the Muslims. The township and the castle were given to the town of Jerez and starting then, the town was focused on the industry of livestock breeding.

The settlements directly related to the present day inhabitants were mostly religious orders. In 1695, the Carmelitas Descalzos friars came to the area and used it as a place of retreat. They built a convent in the little town, which attracted more and more settlers. In 1835, the friars left, but the new settlers stayed on.

The town of San Jose del Valle kept growing with steady pace. In 1908, the Salesianos, a religious order, built a school in the town. From the 1950s onward, San Jose del Valle flourished and became a fully developed village. It was declared an official township of the Cádiz province in 1995.