The Romans and before: Gaucín has enjoyed a vast and chequered history for such a small town (its current population is around 2 000). The town's history starts in pre-historic times, and cave paintings from this time are still visible in Gaucín today. Legend even has it that Pliny, Strabo and Ptolemy were living in Gaucín when the Phoenicians invaded. Later, the town's strategic position, and its point of access for the Ronda mountains - made it practically a watchtower for the region and led the Romans to use the town as a resting place for troops. Traces of the Camino De Gibraltar, the original Roman Road that ran from Gibraltar to Ronda can still be seen today - and it was the Romans who built the famous Castillo del Águila - the ruined Castle that looms protectively over the town.