The localities of the municipality were set up in the beginning of the early modern period. The salty mines were utilised by the lessees who reached rights on the mines at a similar level to the Crown. This institution awarded shares to these lessees in order to regain the power on the salty lands. The untroublesome access to the coastal salty lagoon Mar Menor led to Berber pirates to disembark easily, destroy the region and take the loot. Typical Spanish coastal watchtowers were built along the coast. The king Philip II of Spain got a letter written, in which an intention for setting up a tower was announced, on 6 June 1592 in order to set up a defence system for the region. This tower was built in 1602 and it was armed with artillery and manned until the 18th century.