The first occupants of Arganda del Rey were the Celtiberian people who occupied the region of Carpetania and Called the territory Arkanta, which means land of water. The land was occupied by the Romans from the 3rd century BC.
According to philologists, their name comes from Area Canda or white surface, owing to the colour of the soil with abundant lime.
The first stable settlements comprising what is Arganda del Rey today, date back to the 11th century following the Reconquest of Castile when Toledo was taken back in 1118 and the creation of Lordship of Alcalá to which Arganda, Vilches and Valtierra belonged. Years later, King Alfonso VII granted this Lordship to the Archbishop of Toledo.
In the height of the plague in the second half of the 13th century, the inhabitants abandoned Vilches and Valatierra and settled in what is now Arganda del Rey, thus establishing the first significant population.
Arganda belonged to the Archbishopric of Toledo until 1583 when Felipe II granted it the status of Crown Villa. This status remained until 1613 when it was acquired by the Duke of Lerma. This acquisition gave rise to the “Arganda Mutiny”, a movement caused by social discontent through losing the status of Crown Villa and falling under the Dukedom of Lerma.
In 1808 Arganda was invaded by French troops who destroyed and pillaged many of its buildings.
In the 19th century it underwent a period of economic growth acting as a communications nexus between Madrid and the Levant area, and therefore a lot of urban improvements were made and the railway was built.
Arganda underwent a period of economic growth, acting as a communications nexus between Madrid and the east coast, leading to improvements in the town and construction of the railway line in 1849, joining Madrid with Alocén in Guadalajara. The train provided services for passengers of the time and also for the La Azucarera sugar factory to transport its goods to the capital. The Optical Telegraphic Tower was also built as a part of the communications network between Madrid and Valencia.
In the early 20th century Arganda’s position as a nexus between the plateau and the east coast was reinforced with the construction of the Arganda Bridge in 1910, an iron construction to facilitate goods transport. The Battle of Jarama took place in the surrounding area, and many remains of it can still be seen in the town, such as Cerro Melero.
In the 60’s Arganda’s population underwent a boom thanks to the development and growth of its industrial estate.
