In the neighboring village of Alfarnatejo, two flour mills that operated with water from the stream can still be seen and give an idea of what this area was like at that time.

Along with Alfarnatejo, Colmenar and Casabermeja, Alfarnate is part of a sort of transition zone that has been called "Eastern Mountains of Málaga."

The name is Alfarnate, like its younger brother Alfarnatejo, is a term originally formed from Arabic Al-farnat meaning flour mill.

Both the term and the current settlement Alfarnate were inhabited since prehistoric times by the first settlers of the region, as is evidenced by the remains found in the terraces of the Palancar and Morales streams, and at the confluence of both, where lies the village, dating back to the Mousterian period.

As early as the Neolithic period, flint workshops are documented around the port of Alazores and the first traces of stable settlements would endure until historic times.