The city of Caceres

Caceres, the city itself, has an extraordinary history that is almost perfectly preserved within the ancient walls of the Old City, or Ciudad Monumental. On two different occasions, Gemma took us on a tour of this incredible part of the city. It was great to have Gemma as a tour guide because her knowledge and enthusiasm is almost bottomless. She spoke mostly in Spanish and so my comprehension was probably not as good as everyone else’s, but here is a brief history, with a little supplemental help:

From http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/:
“The origins of Caceres can be traced back over 25,000 years to the times of cavemen from the Paleolithic age.”

There are caves nearby called the Maltravieso and El Conejar Caves, which contain pictures dating back to the late Paleolithic period.

From http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/:
“The rich, historical diversity of Caceres involves such diverse cultures as Celts, Romans, Visigoths, and Arabs.”

From http://www.spain.info/:
“Originally called Norba Caesarina, the city of Cáceres was founded by the Romans in 34 BC. However,it was not until the arrival of the Moors and renamed Quazri (from which Caceres‘ modern name is derived) in 12th century that the city enjoyed its era of greatest splendour.”

According to Gemma, the Romans settled here and lived for many hundreds of years. However, Caceres was abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire and fell into ruin with the occupation of the Visigoths. The Moors traveled up from Africa in 711 and claimed it as theirs, tearing down much of the old city and rebuilding it to their own design. War between the Christians and the Moors continued for the next 700 years.

“In 1227, the city would pass into Christian hands upon its reconquest by Alfonso IX of León.”

Over the next few hundred years, Caceres stayed in the hands of the Christians, but feuding broke out between different royal factions. Both sides claimed rightful rule and local nobles took sides. By the 15th Century, Isabella I won her claim to the throne and punished opposing nobles by “cutting off the tops of the towers of their respective house-fortresses” (a symbol of nobility and wealth, of which there were 30 at the time), effectively humiliating them in the most public way. At the time, this was considered the most degrading insult and was a very vicious and unusual move on the part of Isabella I.

It was also about this time (1492) when the Spanish were discovering America that the Jewish population was expelled from Caceres, effectively eliminating almost one-third of the population of the city. However the Jewish population had a major influence over the city and it can still be seen in buildings in the old Jewish quarter, built in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

From http://www.bookrags.com/:
“Caceres flourished during the Reconquista and the Discovery of America, as influential Spanish families and nobles built homes and small palaces there, and many members of families from Extremadura participated in voyages to America where they made their fortunes.”

From http://www.spain.info/:
“The gate known as the el Arco de la Estrella affords access to the area of the city enclosed by its wall. This entrance, the work of Manuel de Lara Churriguera, was built in the 18th century to replace the previous Puerta Nueva, which dated from the medieval period.

Once inside the medieval quarter, there are palaces and ancestral houses to be seen at every turn, which can be easily identified by the presence of family coats of arms. The Plaza de Santa María is surrounded by several palaces. One of these is the Carvajal palace, which was built between the 15th and 16th centuries, later to be refurbished in the middle of the 20th century. At the centre of its picturesque, Renaissance courtyard there stands a thousand-year-old fig tree.”

We got to take a good look at this tree, which still bears fruit. It was incredible!

“Beside the house stands a 12th century round tower built by the Moors.”

Interestingly, at the highest part of the tower grows yet another fig tree (presumably an offspring of the original in the courtyard) right out the side of it. The picture I took isn’t the best, but you can sort of see it.

“The square is completed by the Mayoralgo Palace (16th century), the biggest in the city, with its interior stone, pointed-arched courtyard and the Episcopal Palace. The latter has two façades, one dating from the 13th century, with a foiled arch at its entrance, while the other Renaissance façade is adorned with bossage arching.”

Even on two official visits (and a few unofficial visits), we barely scratched the surface of history in this incredible town!