Until the 1950s the villages had well over 500 inhabitants (642 in 1910), but a steady decline started in the 1960s as families emigrated to the nearby larger towns of Pego, Oliva, Gandia, Muro d'Alcoi, Cocentaina and Alcoi.

The village of Vall d'Alcalà is well-known for being the birthplace of Al-Azraq, a Moorish commander who signed an important treaty with King James I of Aragon in 1245, known as the Al-Azraq Treaty of 1245, locally known as the 'Tractat del Pouet' ('Treaty of the little well') because it was signed beside a small water source just outside the village.

The battles are still remembered today all around the region, when towns gather to watch Moros i Cristians or 'Moors and Christians' parades.

The village of Alcalà de la Jovada has three bars, a campsite (currently closed), a hotel, a public swimming-pool, a sports complex, an internet café, a cultural centre/theatre, a chemist and a church.

The ruined Moorish village of L'Atzuvieta is nearby, as are two domes which were packed with snow in the winter so as to keep food cold during the warmer months.