Bullas Introduction
Bullas covers a municipal area of 82.2 sq.km, and 52 km from the city of Murcia. It sits at the origin of the river Mula (a tributary of the river Segura). The town is 651m above sea-level, and is the second highest in the region of Murcia behind Moratalla. Bullas is a municipality of around 12,000 inhabitants. It is limited to the west and south by the municipality of Mula, and to the east and north with that of Cehegín. The river Mula has on its course several places of interest like the Salto del Usero and the Pasico de Ucenda. The contrast with the mountains (about 1000m altitude) and the plains in which the vine and the almond tree are the main characteristics, plus the Mediterranean climate are the essential ingredients for all to enjoy the natural environment.The mountains of Bullas of medium height are Garci Sanchez (1026m), El Castellar (993m) and the Sierra de la Silla (794m).The best known natural landscapes are the Barranco de la Regidora, the Paraje del Carrascalejo, the Valle del Aceniche and the course of the Rio Mula. In addition there are the watercourses of Rambla del Ceacejo, Rambla de Ucienda, del Chaparral and the Los Muletos.
The first archaeological remains indicate the existence of establishments of the Chalcolithic period, from 4,000 million years ago. The occupation of Bullas goes back the Neolithic and Argaric, and throughout history, inhabitants of their lands have been Roman (there are vestiges of a villa), Visigoths, and Arabs.Their name appears for the first time in the 13th century (1254), when Alfonso X gave the castle and the village of Bullas to Mula. In 1444, the Master of La Orden de Santiago granted Bullas to Cehegín. Up to 1563 Bullas remained practically uninhabited, but, little by little, it began to populate. In 1660 the population grew to 170. Finally, in 1689, Bullas obtained the definitive independence from King Carlos II"s ordinance.Bullas was integrated little by little into the political life of Spain. On 8th September, 1808, in the face of the Napoleonic invasion, the whole municipality proclaimed their unconditional allegiance to Fernando VII. The end of the 19th century signalled the political divide between liberal and conservatives following the Restoration of the Spanish monarchy. In Bullas power was with the Marsilla, Melgares and Carreño families, and they controlled the council and the political and social life of the town. After the end of the dictatorship and the municipal elections of 1931 Alfonso XIII opted for abandoning Spain giving rise to the proclamation of the Second Republic.In the 1960"s the economic recovery came, and with it began a slow process based on the canning industry. The 1980"s began with a great snowfall that caused serious damages to the economy. Juan Carlos I in person visited the area, being the first time that a king went to Bullas.
