[4] In 1267, having been taken by Fernando III during the Christian reconquest, the town was handed over to the Order of Santiago, to take charge of its defence as a frontier position.

[4] Its greatest monumental and artistic achievements were attained during the 16th and 17th centuries under the marquesses of Estepa;[4][6] their palace was built on the site of the former Islamic fortress.

[8] After the war, widespread poverty led to substantial emigration to industrial areas of Spain and other European countries during the 1950s and 1960s; the population remained at a constant level.

[9] Estepa is well known for its production of Christmas-time sweets, mainly mantecado, or traditional Spanish crumble cake, notable for being based on pork fat.

The factories produce about 18 million kilograms of Christmas sweets annually, and from September to December they employ in total about 2,000 employees.

[13] Other industries are gaining prominence in the area as well, such as Graphic Arts, mechanical constructions, machinery, factories, transport, slaughterhouses, limestone production, etc.