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| The road towards Arcos de la Frontera |
Possibly the
most arresting white-walled town in Andalusia, Arcos de la Frontera stands indomitably above
the luxuriant plains of the Rio Guadalete.
Declared a National Historic Monument in 1962, its Old Quarter is a tangled maze
of narrow one-way lanes and ancient archways that reveal a 500-year Muslim
influence, enhanced by a Christian architectural blueprint during the periods
that followed.
During the Reconquista, Arcos,
Jerez and other newly Christian-controlled towns were collectively assigned the
name ‘de la Frontera’. Each an integral part of the fiercely disputed province
of Cadiz, they became the new frontier as the Moors were gradually driven back
towards North Africa.
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| Our overnight accommodation at the Venta Calderon |
A 150 vertical metre drive (or
ride if you’re willing), via the lower slopes of Arcos’s newer town, terminates
abruptly at the foot of the sandstone Castillo de los Duques. Originally the
residence of the Taifa Kings during the Moorish reign, it was rebuilt by the
Christians as part of their campaign to maintain control of the strategically
important town. Similarly, the main mosque, which once stood on the opposite
side of the Plaza del Cabildo, was
demolished and a church, the Iglesia de
Santa Maria Basillica (Church of Santa Maria), built in its place.
The beating heart of its Old
Town, Arcos’s cobbled main square is more than an architectural and historical
showcase for the changing tide of events throughout the Muslim-Christian eras.
Though somewhat tarnished by its cholesterol-choked car park, its dramatic
views of the fertile river valley below, and the Sierra de Grazalema to the
west, are an affirmation of why this region was so sought after.
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