 Bolaños had large Islamic and Jewish populations until the expulsion of members of these religions in 1492, at which point many of them converted to Christianity.The city lies within small Paleozoic mountain ranges, surrounded by shallow creeks, including the Pellejero and de Cuetos.It also lies within a volcanic zone (la Yezosa), which lies upon a quartzite sierra, similar to the zones of Olot and Cabo de Gata in the Iberian Peninsula.