The modern age

Around the end of the 18th century Orxeta had a drastically reduced population, mainly due to the earlier expulsion of the Moriscos. There were barely 223 inhabitants dedicated to agricultural labour. There is evidence of the town during this period, thanks to the enormous labour of the botanist Antonio Josef Cavanilles in his work “Observaciones sobre la Historia Natural, Geografía, Agricultura, Población y Frutos del Reyno de Valencia (1795-1797)” (“Observations on the Natural History, Geography, Agriculture, Settlement and Products of the Kingdom of Valencia”), which was commissioned by King Carlos IV, who named him as the Father of Valencian Geography and an important figure in the Spanish Period of Enlightenment (18th century).