The name Nerja actually comes from the Moorish name for the town Naricha. The town started in the 10th Century as a Moorish farming community with also a flourishing industry in silk weaving. Twenty thousand years ago it was inhabited by the Palaeolithic man and evidence fo this can be found by visiting the cave at Maro found this century by a local boy and his young friends whilst playing.

Travelling in an easterly direction from Nerja approximately 2km along the main road, you will come to what is claimed to be a Roman Aqueduct.

The truth is uncertain as it is believed to have only been built at the beginning of the 19th century to carry water to the village of Maro, but built in the Roman style. It is now used to irrigate the farm lands surrounding the village of Maro.