Urban settlement
The urban settlement of Aldea Moret arises as a result of the discovery of phosphates in 1864 by Don Francisco Lorenzo Acuña "the friar", who frequently visited "el Calerizo" and noticed a white rock that turned out to be rich limestone in phosphate, found in the vicinity of what would become the "Abundancia" mine. From then on (1875-1980) a whole phosphate industry was generated in Calerizo Cacereño. Numerous wells and mines were opened (La Abundancia, La Esmeralda, San Salvador, ...) and the town of Aldea Moret was born, one of the first examples of urban planning in the country, a garden city for its workers. It was necessary to release the phosphates, which translates into the arrival of the railway to Cáceres in 1881, establishing the Lisbon-Cáceres-Madrid line, which would be inaugurated by Alfonso XII. The mines were exploited in the 19th and 20th centuries. Competition with phosphates discovered in North Africa (larger deposits and with better quality ore) made its exploitation unprofitable and determined its closure in 1962, before its reserves were exhausted. This town bears his name in honor of the liberal politician Segismundo Moret.
