The busy commercial town of Cáceres, chief town of Cáceres province in western Spain and the see of a bishop, lies near the Portuguese frontier in a fertile agricultural area. A walk through the old walled town takes visitors back to the Middle Ages.
History
The town was originally founded in the first century A.D., probably on the site of an Iberian settlement, by the Roman consul Caecilius Metellus under the name of Norba Caesarina or Castra Caecilii and became one of the five most important colonies in the province of Lusitania. During the period of Visigothic rule the town was abandoned, but it was rebuilt by the Moors, who called it Quazri. It passed to León in 1227.
The old town of Cáceres (Ciudad or Barrio Monumental) lies on a hill, separated from the modern town by a medieval (originally Moorish) circuit of walls with twelve towers and five gates. It preserves many old aristocratic mansions. They originally had tall towers, but these were demolished on the orders of Isabella the Catholic in 1477.
Near the cathedral, in Plaza San Jorge, is the Palacio de los Golfines Abajo (late 15th C.), in which the Catholic Monarchs were frequently guests. The facade combines Gothic, Mudéjar and Plateresque elements; the most striking features are the family's coat of arms and the frieze of griffins along the edge of the roof.
The stone Palacio de los Golfines Abajo on Plaza San Jorge, Caceres.
Around the Plaza de Santa María are several old noble mansions, including (opposite the church) the Bishop's Palace (Palacio Episcopal; 1567), with a handsome doorway over which is a medallion representing the Old and the New World. Adjoining the Bishop's Palace is the Palacio de Mayoralgo, with a Gothic facade (16th C.).
Straight ahead from Casa del Comendador de Alcuéscar is Calle Condes, which leads to the Palacio de los Golfines de Arriba, just inside the town walls. On the way there, immediately north of San Mateo, are two tall tower houses, the Torre de la Plata and the Casa del Sol.
Immediately southeast of the Plaza San Mateo is the Plaza de las Veletas, at the north corner of which is the Casa de las Cigüeñas ("House of the Storks"), with a slender battlemented tower in Florentine Renaissance style - the only tower in the town to escape demolition in accordance with Queen Isabella's orders.
The Calle de la Monja, behind the San Mateo, leads to the 15th century Casa del Mono, now occupied by the Museo de Bellas Artes (pictures, costumes, weapons).
Facing the apse of the Santa María la Mayor is the Palacio Carvajal, which is open to the public (fine patio; rooms with 16th-19th C. furniture and pictures). Near here, in Calle de la Tiendas, is the Torre de los Espaderos, with a large projecting gallery from which missiles could be dropped.
From the north side of the Plaza de Santa María Calle Canilleros leads to the Palacio de Toledo Moctezuma, at the northeast corner of the walls. This mansion, with a domed tower, was the residence of Juan de Cano Moctezuma, son of a daughter of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II.
A little way south of the Palacio de los Golfines Abajo in Cáceres is the church of San Francisco Javier, 18th century, a large Baroque structure in the Jesuit style. Just beyond this, on the highest point in the town, is the 15th century church of San Mateo, on the site of an earlier mosque. The main doorway, facing the Plaza San Mateo, is in Plateresque style, 16th century. The church has an impressive Baroque retablo and contains a number of fine tombs.
On the east side of Plaza de Santa María stands the Late Gothic Cathedral of Santa María la Mayor (16th C.). The Renaissance door of the sacristy was the work of Alonso Torralba (1527). The high altar has a remarkable retablo of 1551.
An aerial view over the Santa Maria la Mayor and Plaza de Santa Maria in Caceres.
Interior view of the arches and columns of Santa Maria la Mayor in Caceres.
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Old Town, Caceres
Santa María la Mayor, Caceres
Old Town, Caceres
Palacio de los Golfines Abajo, Caceres
Santa María la Mayor, Caceres
Caceres
