It was the discovery of gold in 1883 in the mine, las Ninas, that began "gold fever" in the Cabo de Gata. A number of small mines, privately owned, operated until the early 1900s, but the area lacked the technology and finance to mine gold successfully. The hills around Rodalquilar are peppered with tunnels from these mines. In 1929, a company financed from Britain opened a large mine above Rodalquilar, which operated until the Civil War broke out in 1936.
When Goytisolo visited the area in the 1950s, it was ADARO, a company established by Franco's government that had taken over the mine. 
The miner's houses, built by the company, still stand on the edge of Rodalquilar.   They are empty now and many of them are in ruins. It is strangely haunting to walk among them.  Not so long ago each of these houses was somebody's home.