In 1492, after the conquest of Granada, Chilches and its two watchtowers were divided amongst the noblemen that fought in the battle. These included the Count Manrique de Lara and the Marquis Garcia Fernández Manrique. Although the inland tower was destroyed shortly afterwards, the tower on the coast remains standing today.

It was built in the Moorish era to keep a lookout over the Mediterranean and prevent attacks by pirates.

Steps lead up to the tower and there is a small kiddy park behind it.

Chilches is a village in the municipality of Vélez-Málaga, near the N-340 coastal road, and borders the municipality of Rincón de la Victoria, towards the city of Malaga. It is sandwiched between Benajarafe and Torre de Benagalbon.

Chilches dates back to the Roman era when its name was Cicer, due to the abundance of chickpea fields in the area.

After several consecutive invasions, Chilches became a Visigoth settlement, and later, a Moorish settlement. In that era, its name changed to the current Chilches, and it became a thriving Moorish farmstead.

Until the 19th century, Chilches was a dependency of the village of Macharaviaya. For a short period of time, from 1821 to 1868, it had is own town hall. In August 1868 it changed hands and was governed by Vélez-Málaga Town Hall.