The village of Árchez has been termed the Merinite Jewel of the XIIth century. Urban settlement here unquestionably dates back to the Moorish roots of what may have been a farmstead. This would explain its narrow streets and the compact distribution of its houses. The village, which marks the end of what is known as the Mudêjar Route, features the most beautiful minaret in the Axarquîa region. Almost 15 metres high, this minaret combines all of the elements that characterised the Almohade style of the 13th and 14th centuries. Subsequently added to it was a belfry, where two bells known as Maria de la Encarnación and Nuestra Señora del Pilar peal out. Both were cast in 1876, as witnessed by the inscription on the former.

Árchez’s history runs parallel to that of Sedella, Salares and Canillas de Aceituno; following the Muslim struggle, the village also joined in the Bentomiz rebellion, suffering the subsequent deportation of its Muslim converts and becoming a dependency of the Marquis of Comares.

The village centre is small and relatively even. A stroll through its streets reveals a number of different architectural styles, some houses featuring sloped roofs while others have terraces, the latter being of more recent construction. Many of these houses have their own wells, which are supplied by the numerous currents that flow through the village.

Evidence exists to suggest that, during the XIXth century, two stills, two flour mills, four oil presses and three canvas looms, which wove their fabric in characteristic blue and white, were all operational in the village. Today, the ruins of the mills (Reusto, Castán y Doña Fidela) still line the River Turvilla, known further down its course as the River Algarrobo.

These traditional industries no longer survive, and the local economy is primarily based on agriculture, with almonds, vegetables and, in particular, olives all being produced.