The city of Trujillo is located some 50 km. to the east of the provincial capital, Cáceres (Spain).
This historic town contains within its streets one of the richest monumental complexes in the whole of Extremadura, especially from the 15th and 16th centuries.
All in all, Trujillo is one of the most charming towns in the whole of Spain and a prime destination for cultural tourism. Its old quarter seems to have been preserved with little variation since centuries ago.
The nerve centre of Trujillo is its famous Plaza Mayor, presided over by the statue of Pizarro. This main square links the villa, or old town, which sits on a hill, with the suburbs that later became the modern extension of the city.
Another of the attractions of a visit to Trujillo is that its streets have the aroma of the times of the conquest of America. Some of the most important Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century were born in the town of Trujillo: Francisco de Pizarro, García de Paredes, Nuño de Chaves and Francisco de Orellana.
It is not surprising that the riches that the conquistadors brought to Trujillo from America favoured the construction of important Renaissance buildings (especially palaces) that adorn its streets everywhere.
The origins of Trujillo go back to pre-Roman and Roman times, where there was already a castro which was the origin of the present town and which, in those times, was called Turgalium.
A frontier land during the 12th century, Trujillo was involved during this century in various skirmishes between Moors and Christians, and was briefly conquered by Alfonso VIII in 1186 and defended by the Military Orders of Santiago and San Julián de Pereiro.
This Christian rule lasted only 10 years, as it soon fell back into Almohad hands, taking advantage of the Castilian weakness after the setback suffered in the Battle of Alarcos. It was not until 1232 that it was definitively recovered for Castile and León by Ferdinand III, in January 1232.
Almost two centuries later (1430), John II of Castile granted Trujillo the title of city.
However, when the population increased considerably, and the city reached its period of maximum splendour, it was in the 16th century, during the time of the discovery and conquests of America.
Many of the discoverers, who brought gold and riches from the new continent, established their residences here, and all this splendour was reflected in the private chapels and palatial residences that these nobles had built, and which treasure some of the greatest technical and aesthetic innovations of the time.
Trujillo’s Plaza Mayor is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. It has a rectangular structure and is surrounded by a unique architectural ensemble.
The alcazaba (castle) of Trujillo occupies the top of the promontory that dominates the town and the modern city. It is of Arab origin (9th and 10th centuries) and was built at the end of the walled enclosure on the so-called “Cabeza del Zorro” (Fox’s Head).
It consists of two parts. The oldest, which is Islamic, is the so-called “Patio de Armas” and is a square enclosure with prismatic towers, a horseshoe arch doorway and two cisterns inside.
The other part of the castle is Christian, from the 13th and 14th centuries, called “Albacara” and has a polygonal shape, which houses a chapel from the 16th century.
Discover Spain in Video 