Villamartin is situated near to Torrevieja in the Costa Blanca region of Spain. The area has a rich history which can be traced right back to prehistoric times. It has also has been a strategic location linking Cadiz, Seville and Malaga. Archaeologists have found Palaeolithic deposits around the Guadalete river. The big megalithic necropolis known as the Dolmenic area of Alberite is found in the plains of Villamartin. As such this makes historians believe that the origin of the town is from around the 5th millennium B.C.
The Romans built several roads across Villamartin and over the years numerous artefacts have been discovered. Visigoth remains have also been found. More recent finds have been from Arabic and Christian people. From the 8th century A.D. the entire region fell under Muslim control. The Matrera fields formed part of the Cora territory of Ronda. The closeness of Arcos, which belonged to the Cora de Medina, drove Omar Ben Hafsun, at the end of the 9th Century, to build the fortress of Matrera, to defend Iptuci, the most advanced city in the Cora of Ronda.
In 1248, Fernando III re-conquered Seville and the Guadalete area. His son, Alfonso X, began a campaign in 1253 assisted by the Military Order of Calatrava, removing all the local Muslim chiefs. On June 10th of 1256, Alfonso X pledged the castle and its ground to Orden. Matrera fields returned to Muslim domain, and remained until Alfonso XI, re-conquered it in 1341.
On April 1st 1342, King Alfonso conceded Matrera and its grounds to the Cabildo court of Seville filling the town up again. But the strong instability of the "banda morisca" made this attempt to form population fail for second time. In 1408, the King of Granada, from Zahara, failed in his attempt to conquer Matrera again.
In 1421, Juan Ortega, a Sevillian jury undertook to populate the town again and Fern'n Pereza's son, Guill'n de las Casas financed the building of the new settlement, including a tower. In 1445 the Duke of Arcos stopped a new siege by the Granadian King Mohamed Aben Ozmin. Again, in 1452 there were battles in the Encinar de Mataparda, that the Duke of Arcos won, and in 1482 the battle of "Lomo del Jud'o" took place.
In 1486 a lawsuit between Ines Peraza and the Concejo council of Seville, caused the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Kings) to take control. In a letter from "El tumbo de los Reyes Cat?licos del Consejo de Sevilla" it was revealed that Ines Peraza owned the district of Villamartin under condition of building a fortress in it. Seville had invaded the district and expelled Ines and her family. On May 20 th 1486 the Reyes Cat?licos ordered to give the place back to Ines Peraza. The end of the lawsuit is unknown, but in 1503, that tower, the Matrera Castle and its area belonged to Seville.
In 1485, Matrera field was no longer a border, and was repopulated. After the defeat of Granada, three military powers took over these virgin territories: Seville took the Matrera Castle, the Peraza family took the tower of Villamartin and the marquis of Cadiz took Hortales Castle.
The foundation of Villamartin dates from February 4th 1503, when the Cabildo (court) of Seville decided to populate the Matrera fields area, conceding them to 118 settlers, who came from surrounding towns. Later, these settlers were expelled from the area and they filed for the fulfilling of the Carta Puebla. This lawsuit went on for three centuries being finally resolved on 9th February 1818. This process is known in law as "El Pleito de Matrera", and it is the longest in the whole History of Spain.