The town of Cazorla was founded in Roman times, called Carcacena. At that time, it was quite wealthy, for the Romans mined silver and lead in the surrounding mountains. That wealth must have continued for quite some time, since it has two major fortified Arab castles guarding it (Castillo de La Yedra, and La Iruela) as well as a Moorish-style palace, currently in use as its Ayuntamiento (city hall). The area around Cazorla contains the headwaters of the mighty Guadalquivir, one of Spain's major rivers.
Indirect evidence of the early existence of Jews in Cazorla, is a local holiday. On May 14, the locals pay homage to their patron saint—a former resident—San Isicio, one of seven apostles, (called in Spanish los Varones Apostólicos), disciples of Paul, who preached Christianity in Spain before the arrival of the Moors. In those days, this type of person was usually a Jew who was in contact with the Jesus cult, sent to a Jewish community to preach, first to Jews then to the Gentiles. By tradition, Isicio was ordained a bishop (episcopos) by Paul (Saul of Tarsus/Tarshish), and established his apostolic seat in the Roman city of Carcacena (later called Cazorla).