The history of Calcena is little studied. Campanian ceramics from the Neolithic have been found in the Cueva Honda (funeral cave) and remains of human activity in the Cueva Hermosa (cave room).
The Celtiberian tribe of the Lusones settled in this area and we know from the Romans that they exploited the silver mines of Valdeplata.
The disposition of its hamlet and the craft tradition of its inhabitants remained from the Muslim period.
The region was conquered by Alfonso I around 1120.
Given its border nature, during the offensive of Pedro I of Castilla (year 1362) in the war with Pedro IV of Aragon, the population was evacuated to the castle of Tierga.
Already in 1382 Calcena belonged to the Bishop of Tarazona. This situation was maintained until the disappearance of the lordships in the s. XIX. The land belonged to the clergy and its Moorish population dedicated itself to cattle raising, handicrafts (glass and cloth were exported outside the Kingdom) and the exploitation of silver mines. This allowed its period of greatest splendor in the 16th and 17th centuries. At this time the parish church and the hermitages that surround the Villa are rebuilt. However, the expulsion of the Moors (year 1610), the plague of 1653, the low profitability of the silver mines compared to those of the New Continent and the lack of markets for the rough artisan products began the decline of Calcena.
In 1785 Calcena acquired the status of Villa.
During the War of Independence Juan Martín "El Empecinado" defeated the French here and it was looted by both sides.
In 1857 its population reached 1,313 inhabitants, perhaps due to the reopening of the Valplata mines. But at the beginning of the XX the economic situation should not be good. The petition that the town made to Alfonso XIII in 1911 to emigrate to America is famous and the mines closed in 1914 due to continuous flooding. Given the abandonment by the institutions and the lack of profitability of a subsistence economy, its population has been decreasing until reaching the current situation.
It also has other points of interest:
Phones
Town Hall: +34 976829230
Hostel: +34 976829296
Isuela river cars: +34 976829292
Public Telephone: +34 976829262
Store: +34 976829274
Information provided by the Cultural Association "Friends of the Villa de Calcena". F. Ruiz.