Cartaya was founded as an urban core by the Marquis of Gibraleón, D. Pedro de Zúñiga in Piedras estuary, although its name comes from the Phoenician word "Carteia" meaning city so presumably its settlement, though not continuous, is older. Different traces found on its territory has been dated from the time of the Decline of the Roman Empire because it was an important communications hub between East and West. Is also documented the existence of population centers in farmsteads adjacents in the Middle Ages, which demonstrate that from ancient times lived in this area.