The origin of the term Yecla comes from the Arabic Yakka, which was the name of a fortress located in the place that is now called Cerro del Castillo.

The chief buildings are a half-ruined citadel, a modern parish church with a pillared Corinthian facade, and a town hall standing in a fine arcaded plaza mayor (square).

Yecla has traditionally had a thriving trade in grain, wine, oil, fruit and other agricultural products produced in the surrounding country.

Yecla, with neighboring Jumilla, is one of the primary regions for development of the Murciana and Granadina breeds of dairy goats.

Yecla is also a wine-producing region, another attribute it shares with close-by Jumilla[3] Municipal elections results in 2023