The present-day Moroccan province in the same area is called Sidi Ifni, with its capital in the city of the same name, but encompassing a much larger territory.

Spain's presence in the area can be traced to a settlement called Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequeña, founded in 1476.

In the mid-19th century, when the European powers looked again to Africa for resources, Spain suddenly mooted an interest in its lost late medieval fortress in order to stake a claim to the southern part of Morocco.

The territory and its main town of Sidi Ifni were ceded to Spain by the Sultanate of Morocco on 26 April 1860, but there was little interest in this colonial acquisition until 1934, when the Governor-General of Spanish Sahara took up residence.

At that time, there was only a small construction, an aduar called Amezdog, belonging to the El Mesti Kabyle of the Ait-Baamarani Berber tribe, and of which there are currently no remnants.

Ifni's occupation took place after satisfactory contacts between Colonel Capaz and representatives of the population of the territory, with conversations carried out in Cape Juby on March the 27th of 1934.

On that date, a three-engine unit dropped a letter from Capaz in the Arbaa de Mesti souk, announcing the agreements adopted and the next Spanish landing.

Capaz addressed a group of indigenous people who were waiting for him, from which some notable stood out, and who offered the Colonel a bowl of sour milk as a welcome sign.

Except for a frustrated plan by the Moroccan irregular forces to eliminate the Spanish officers, the initial minor incidents and an attack, Sidi Ifni was not directly affected by the military events.

A fundamental aspect of Spanish political management in the area was the recognition and respect for the customs and traditions of the Baamarani population, as well as their religious beliefs.