Trujillo, with about 8,600 inhabitants, is a town in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, on a granite hill overlooking the plain. It is known as the "cradle of conquistadors": Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of the Inca empire and founder of Lima, his brothers and Francisco de Orellana, the first European to navigate the Amazon, were born here.
History
Inhabited since antiquity, it was Roman Turgalium and then a Muslim fortress, finally taken by the Christians in 1232. In the 16th century wealth from the Americas paid for splendid noble palaces around the square. See also the Spanish Empire.
What to see
- The Plaza Mayor, one of Spain's most beautiful and unusual, irregular and on several levels, ringed by arcades, palaces and churches, with the equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro.
- The Palacio de la Conquista, built by the Pizarro family, with busts of Francisco Pizarro and the Inca princess Inés Huaylas on its façade.
- The church of San Martín, on the square, and the Palacio de los Duques de San Carlos.
- The castle, of Arab origin, at the top of the hill, with views over the plain and the chapel of the Virgen de la Victoria, the town's patron.
- The Romanesque and Gothic church of Santa María la Mayor, with Fernando Gallego's altarpiece and a viewpoint tower.
- The Pizarro House-Museum and the walled medieval town with its gates.
Food and festivals
Trujillo hosts the Feria Nacional del Queso, in late April or early May, with dozens of cheesemakers from all over Spain, including Extremadura's Torta del Casar. Specialities: Iberian ham from Dehesa de Extremadura, lamb caldereta, migas and cochifrito.
Around Trujillo
- Cáceres, about 45 km away, with its UNESCO-listed old town.
- The monastery of Guadalupe, a UNESCO site linked to the discovery of America.
- Monfragüe National Park, one of Europe's best places to see vultures and eagles.
- Mérida, with its Roman theatre.
Getting there
Trujillo lies on the A-5 motorway between Madrid and Badajoz, about 250 km from the capital, and is served by buses. The nearest railway station is in Cáceres.