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Tijola has a long history.  Close to the modern village, o­n a high point, are the remains of Tijola la Viega, which was destroyed by Don Juan of Austria’s artillery in the fight against the Moorish uprising.  Before that time it had been the site of the Roman city, Tagili, which survived as late as the Middle Ages.

Even earlier, a prehistoric settlement existed here.  At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th, the town was moved to its present position, close to the Almanzora River and spreading along the roads which run through the valley.

The church of Santa Maria, built between 1660 and 1665, and restored in the 1990s, has several side chapels, whose domes were added in the 18th century, and a bell-tower; its single nave is covered with intricate Mudejar (Moorish) woodwork and outside, part of the wall is decorated with blind, Romanesque arches o­n plinths.

The nearby Hermitage de la Virgen del Socorro (1630), in the shape of a Roman cross, is of baroque design.  The white marble cross opposite the Hermitage was erected in 1634.Outside the village an attractive Via Crucis wends its way through the pinewoods.

The Sierra de los Filabres rises up behind the town, and o­n this side of the range the climate is damper.  Behind the town there are pinewoods where brambles spill o­nto the road and wild boar roam the area at night.  If you wish, you can take the route to Bacares and right over the top of the mountains and down towards Almeria o­n the other side, well worth it for the views and the wild scenery.

Tijola is now a buzzing town with many services and amenities and a very tranquile way of life. You can see that as you walk through the streets of the town centre in the afternoons during the siesta.