therapeutic qualities. In 1245, the Christians led by Fernando III of Castilla arrived on the south east coast and forced the Arabs to flee, but the Arabs were not forced out until 1272 because of King Alfonso X's order of the distribution of the lands around Los Alcazares. In 1898, noble and rich families in Murcia came to Los Alcazares and made it their place of summer residence. Aerodrome In 1915, Spain's first military flying boat base was built at the south end of the village and proved to be ideally located for flying boat operations due to the sheltered and calm conditions found on the adjacent Mar Menor. An additional adjacent landing ground (later known as 'Burguete Aerodrome') became important for training Spanish Air Force pilots and was further expanded in the 1920s. Larger hangars enabled maintenance work to be carried out on aircraft from other parts of Spain such as Barcelona. The Los Alcázares airfield was used by the Spanish Republican Air Force as a training facility for military pilots and had an important role during the Spanish Civil War along with nearby El Carmolí and Santiago de la Ribera. The base ceased to have such importance after the Civil War in 1939. Although it has little operational relevance, it remains in military use today. An aviation museum - the Museo Aeronautico Municipal - opened in 1998 on the opposite side of the main road to the camp and now displays a comprehensive collection of archive film, photos and models as well as some original artifacts, all dedicated to the history of this nationally significant air base - the home of Spanish flying boat heritage. Independence Los Alcazares wanted independence from the local town halls of Torre Pacheco and San Javier, so the "Grupo Independentista Alcazareño" formed which resulted in Los Alcazares gaining its independence on 14 July 1983. The first town hall sitting was on 13 October 1983. The first mayor, D. Manuel Menarguez Albaladejo, was voted in on 2 December 1983 with his new Town Council. The current Town Hall was built in 2004. Local attractions In Los Alcázares, there are many local attractions. One of the most prominent of these is the Promenade. The Los Narejos promenade features many shops, bars and restaurants. It is also very infamous for people setting up stalls (illegally) at nighttime. These sell not only toys but bracelets and headphones,