This agricultural community just a stone´s throw away from Archena and Ulea is principally a fruit-growing area. Settled by the Romans in the 4thC BC, the character of the present town was moulded under Arab rule and finally converted to Christianity after the fall of Granada in 1492.

The Morisco element in the population inevitably followed the fate of their kin in the rest of the Ricote valley Places of note are the church in the Plaza Mayor, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), patroness of the town. It was built during the 19th century, following a neoclassical style by Juan de Villanueva.

The Statue of the Sacred Heart atop the mountain affords fine views of the valley, and there is also El Golgo, a former electricity generator now used for fishing and summer bathing.

Villanueva's charm owes much to the aromas of the valley perfuming its streets and the refreshing waters of its summer baths, all another part of the charm of the Ricote valley