Móstoles

Sister cities

• Cádiz
• Oviedo
• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• Zaragoza
• Mijek
• Bailén
• Navia

History

Human beings have been present since the Paleolithic. Evidence of that fact are sites in which there are flint gravel and arrow tips. Some traces of presence of Roman civilisation occur in the current municipality, specifically of the late period. They mainly consist of ceramic remains. There is no evidence of a town in the current Móstoles during the Islamic rule era in Iberian Peninsula. However, there are some remains of this era in the territory. It was founded most probably circa 1085–1137, after the Christian conquest of the Kingdom of Toledo (1085) as it was not mentioned in the chronicles compiling the villages seized in the conquest. Written mentions to the village in the Middle Ages, since its foundation up to the late-15th century are limited. By the beginning of the 16th century, it was part of the Land of Toledo. On 6 December 1565, Philip II issued a royal cédula granting Móstoles the independence from Toledo, becoming a town (villa) under (directly owned by the monarch). Móstoles became famous as, although it was only a small town, its municipal authorities called for a general rebellion against the French forces on 2 May 1808 immediately after the Dos de Mayo Uprising in the Spanish capital, reportedly issuing the following public announcement (bando) signed by the Mayor: "The homeland is in danger. Madrid is perishing, victim of the French perfidiousness. Spaniards, turn to save her". The municipality experienced a slow and steady population growth during the first half of the 20th century, followed by a huge demographic expansion from the 1960s onwards.

Geography

The municipality presents a largely flat relief. The main hydrographic features are the Guadarrama river at the western end of the municipality and several of the latter's left bank tributary creeks, including the Arroyo del Soto and the Arroyo de los Combos. It lies at 660 metres above sea level.