Fuente-Álamo

[3] The first written records of Fuente-Álamo date to 1265, when the site was part of the fiefdom of Alpera and was named for its renowned springs ("Fuentes de Alamo").

In the mid-18th century, the site of present-day Fuente-Álamo passed to the Region of Murcia, only to become part of the short-lived Province of Chinchilla in 1823, which lasted only a year.

[2] 19th-century mayor Miguel López del Castillo Tejada favored agriculture and therefore gave up significant portions of the town, shifting the city's center toward the neighborhood of Cerrón.

[2] The Diccionario de Madoz (Dictionary of Madoz, 1845-1850) includes the following entry on Fuente-Álamo in the mid-19th century: Self-governing town in the province...of Albacete (8 leagues)...LOCATED on a northern hillside...has 280 houses, 250 within the town limits and the rest on the outskirts; a small public inn; a primary school...a spring with two channels that deliver enough water to not only serve the citizens' drinking and household needs but also quench the thirst of the local cattle and water the mayor's garden; there is a local parish church dedicated to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite...and on the edge of town is a cemetery quite small for the town's size...Nearby villages and hamlets include Agrio, Casa de la Peña de Cerezos, Casa nueva del Cabañil, Casa de la Parra de Lorente, Casa de las Liebres, Cepero, Cerro en Medio, Chortales, Huesas, Jaraba, Mainetes, Mojon de Ontur, Olimillo, Regajo, Tejarejo, and Villacañas...The TERRAIN includes some plains with sedges, rooted in good-quality soil thanks to several irrigation ditches...the rest of the area is mountainside overgrown with esparto, rosemary, Kermes oak, rockrose, and other shrubs, with some pine groves and remnants of the holly oaks that, while heavily cut since the Peninsular War, remain important sources of lumber, firewood, and charcoal.

AGRICULTURE: wheat, rye, barley, oats, wine, olive oil, saffron, esparto, strawberry trees, ample hay, honey, and beeswax; sheep and goats are raised, as are draft horses; hunting of partridge, rabbit, and hare; some pests, such as wolves and foxes.

INDUSTRY: the primary one is agriculture; reprocessing of esparto in various handicrafts, charcoal, manufacturing of lime and tile, two conventional cloth and canvas looms, and other vital crafts.

COMMERCE: exports of livestock, saffron, esparto, and surplus fruit; imports of needed consumer goods; two grocers supply the town.

[5] The hot, arid climate lends itself to viticulture and olive growing,[3] and to a lesser extent to the cultivation of barley, oats, and almonds.

[6] Since the 1960s, students from the Earth Science faculty from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) have been visiting the town for its well-expressed geological outcrops.

Gachasmigas, made with flour, potatoes, garlic, olive oil, water, and salt, is typical winter fare.