El Jadida on the Atlantic coast of Morocco was a fishing village and port known as Māzīghan to medieval Arab geographers. In 1514 the town was conquered by the Portuguese, who called it Mazagan (Port. Mazagão). It remained under Portuguese control until 1769, playing a secondary role in Portuguese Morocco until nearby Azemmour was abandoned in 1541. Jewish families expelled from Spain, such as the Cabeça family, settled in Mazagan and entered into the service of the Saʿdi rulers of Marrakesh. Isaac Cabeça lived in Mazagan as a Jew in 1537, and other well-known Jewish famil…