Villanueva de San Juan

Small municipality located in the Sierra del Tablón, in the south-eastern part of the province, near that of Cádiz.

Until 1935 it belonged to the domain of the duchy of Osuna. The township has many archaeological sites of different periods. The major monument of interest is the church of San Juan Bautista.

History

The first human settlements date back to the Palaeolithic. Some axes and other stone artefacts have been found in several caves near the village.
Roman artefacts made of clay, tiles, and coins from the time of the Empire have also been found.
At the time of Al-Andalus the first urban nucleus seems to have existed near the present-day one in an AREA called Banda Morisca, which was the boundary line between the Moorish and Christian territories.
The village was founded in the 15th century with the name Puebla de Villanueva.
In 1562 king Philip II granted don Pedro Girón de la Cueva the duchy of Osuna, marking the beginning of a new period for the county of Osuna. In 1600 the village acquired its present-day name.
With the abolishment of feudal estates at the beginning of the 19th century, Villanueva gained its independence from Osuna and constituted its own village council. The history of the village is linked to that of the Duques of Osuna until it became independent in 1837.