Due to its location on this important route the population grew quickly in the second half of the 20th century.

[2] The first historical settlement dates to the Visigothic period of the 6th century A.D., and is known from sites discovered in the center of the village.

[3] After Zalia was taken by the Christians, for centuries the grazing lands of the plain of Zafarraya were the subject of dispute between the municipalities of Alhama de Granada and Vélez-Málaga.

Ventas del Llano de Zafarraya began as a market in the Boquete beside the royal highway from Granada to Málaga.

[5] The pioneering geologist José Macpherson y Hemas (1839–1902) explained the earthquake as having been caused by movement along the faults that bound the Tejeda / Almijara massif to the north and south.

A tourist hotel was built below the station, which gave a great boost to the local economy.