Prehistoric and Roman eras Traces of human presence in the area date back to the
Chalcolithic era, c. 4,500 to 3,700 years ago. There are no remains of permanent settlements before the Iron Age (900-300 BC), but by Roman times, there were 15 settlements in the area. These were concentrated near the Cidacos River in El Busquil, La Pedrera, La Recueja, Los Cascajos, and El Escal. At Lobera, a funeral tombstone was found inscribed with the name of Thurscando. This tombstone is now in the House of Culture of Tafalla.
Middle Ages The first historical mention of Tafalla dates from the tenth century in the Chronicle of Arib Ibn Said, which recounts a raid on Tafalla by
Abd al-Rahman III during a campaign against the
Kingdom of Pamplona, in the year 924. In 1043, the Tafallese helped King García III de Nájera defeat Ramiro I of Aragón in a
battle on the fields of Torreta and Barranquiel. After this, the Tafallese were granted the titles of Noble, Loyal and Strong. Sancho Ramírez granted Tafalla its first charter, later confirmed by
Sancho the Wise in 1157 and
Theobald II in 1255.
Sancho VII the Strong granted another charter to the Tafallese, freeing them from taxes. In 1418,
Carlos III the Noble granted the privilege of holding a fair, and in 1423, he granted Tafalla a seat in the
Cortes among the "Good Towns," and declared the Tafallese free men. In the Civil War of Navarre, Tafalla first sided with the Beaumont confederacy, defending the rights of
Carlos, Prince of Viana. After
the Castilian-Aragonese invasion, Tafalla defended the legitimate kings of Navarre against the invaders. Tafalla was in the news in 2010, after a bull jumped into the stands at the bullring, during a bull-fighting contest. In July 2019, Tafalla was hit by damaging flash floods following torrential rain. == Notable people ==