Established in 1974 by the union of the old city councils of Moreda and Laborcillas, the main town of the municipality of Morelábor is Moreda. Its name comes from the union of the first two syllables of the names of both towns.
Laborcillas was an old farmstead that belonged to the Marquis de Villa Alegre, which was built for his sporadic visits to the area and became the most remarkable house in the village. His land went as far as the ravine at the foot of the Cerro de Fonseca, where years ago the Ermita de San José was turned into the parish church.
The municipality includes a third town near Moreda, which has become one of the most important railway junctions in eastern Andalusia. The lines that come from Granada and Almeria converge here, and go from here towards Linares-Baeza and Madrid.
This town has many archaeological sites. There are well-preserved tombs in the Cerro de los Castellanos, in Paraje de Los Eriales, in the Placeta de los Naranjos and in the Cortijo de Fonseca. In the latter there is a necropolis with a number of tombs. You can also visit the Iglesia Parroquial de la Anunciación and the Iglesia Parroquial de San José.
The archaeological sites found here prove the existence of human settlements over 5,000 years ago. The present site of the towns of Moreda and Larbocillas goes back to the Arab period. It was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1485. Like all the land around Guadix, Moreda was also given by the Catholic Monarchs to men who had played an important role in the Reconquista; Moreda and Larbocillas were given to the Contreras Benavides family.
Since then, the area has always been in the hands of landowners. In the last two centuries the buildings and the surrounding territory belonged to the Marquis of Motilla, who had to give permission to his tenants if the wanted to build new windows or doors in their houses. For decades the town was constrained by their own limitations for not providing land for the construction of new houses. This was the reason that led to the municipality officially confiscating several plots of estate land in 1987. The first 5000 square meters were symbolically occupied by the city to build new schools.
Game, such as rabbit, is a popular ingredient in local dishes. Other typical specialities include Puchero, Migas, Gachas, Pimentón and tortilla.
