History of Sucina, Alicante
Roman beginnings?
Although the name Sucina is thought to be derived from the Roman Sucius, there's little documentation available on the village's past. Hints of its existence start to crop up in historical records from the time of the Catholic kings. The first concrete evidence is found in Aberlardo Merino's GeographÃa Histórica de la Provincia de Murcia, which mentions the Pozo de Sucina (Well of Sucina) in 1468.
By the 16th and 17th centuries Pozo de Sucina was regularly mentioned in the documents of the time. By 1768 the population was 919, and in 1785 it was absorbed into the Kingdom of Murcia. For a brief period in the 19th century, during the Liberal Triennium (1820 - 1823), Sucina became an independent municipality and maintained its own government.
In 1834 Sucina fell back under the control the Murcia, due to its lack of economic resources. By 1850 the village still only consisted of 3050 people, 50 households within the Sucina's centre and the remaining 400 houses dotting the surrounding fields. All its residents were farmers, growing wheat, barley and oats.
Today, the local community still relies heavily on the land. The agricultural sector relies predominantly on dry land cultures, mainly almond tree, carob tree and olive tree, although important irrigation projects have led to the growing of citrus fruits, melons, artichokes, tomatoes and haba greens. Cattle ranching is also important in the area.
