MONTIJO HISTORY
It is believed that Paleolithic men dwelled in Montijo, and in El Pedregal appeared polished axes housed in
the Archaeological Museum of Badajoz. It was conquered by the Romans who in 25 a. C. built the road
from Mérida to Lisbon crossing lands of Montijo. According to the historian Bernabé Moreno de Vargas
the Roman vicus, called AGLA originated Montijo. Later the Goths took the ancient Roman villa to build
farmhouses. In our Plaza of Spain there was a Visigoth construction pit that led to the centre of the village.
When they arrived the agarenas, villagers fled to Merida. In 1230 Merida was conquered by Alfonso IX.
The King granted the Order of Santiago The Order founded the feud of Montijo. The Knights Santiaguista
named the place Montejo, as it is located at the foot of a hill. The house– palace of the Commander was
built in the highest part of the town, (now destroyed), by the Counts. On January 1, 1550 the villa was sold
to the Marquis de Villanueva Del Fresno, D. Pedro Portocarrero, who founded the Lordship of Montijo. On
December 13, 1599, by Royal Decree of Philip III, the Lordship of Montijo became County. In the war with
Portugal in 1644, the Portuguese invaded Montijo, but at the Montijo battle, the Portuguese had a great
defeat. The early XIX cent. brought the war of independence with France. In 1812 the French left Montijo
a desolate and ruined village. In1834, Montijo passed under the Governor of Badajoz, thus ending the jurisdiction of the counts on the Villa. The inhumane conditions of hygiene led to the death of 1,854 people
by cholera. There were also years marked by locusts and drought. As a result at the end of the century
there was a high rate of unemployement, which led to the