Huelva ( , , ) is a municipality of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the capital of the

province of Huelva Huelva () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva. Its area is ...

, in the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. Located in the southwest of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, it sits between the estuaries of the

Odiel The Odiel () is a river in the Atlantic basin in southern Spain, more precisely in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It originates at Marimateos in the Sierra de Aracena at an elevation of above sea level. At the Punta del Sebo, it joins th ...

and

Tinto Tinto is an isolated hill in the south of the Central Lowlands just to the north of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It comprises little more than one top, which stands on the west bank of the River Clyde, some west of Biggar. The peak is a ...

rivers on the Atlantic coast of the

Gulf of Cádiz The Gulf of Cádiz (, ) is the arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Cabo de Santa Maria, the southernmost point of mainland Portugal; and Cape Trafalgar on the Spanish coast at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar. Two major rivers, the Gu ...

. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 149,410. While the existence of an earlier pre-Phoenician settlement within the current urban limits since has been tentatively defended by scholars,

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

established a stable colony roughly by the 9th century BC. Modern economic activity conformed to copper and pyrite extraction upstream funded by British capital and to the role of its port, as well as with the later development of a petrochemical industry. Huelva is home to

Recreativo de Huelva Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...

, the oldest football club in Spain.

History

Protohistory

At least up to the 1980s and 1990s, the mainstream historians' view was that Huelva began as an

autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Nature * Autochthon (geology), a sediment or rock that can be found at its site of formation or deposition * Autochthon (nature), or landrace, an indigenous animal or plant * Autochthonou ...

Tartessian settlement (possibly the very same Tartessos mentioned in Greek sources); later opinions have held that it was a multi-ethnic enclave, mixing natives with peoples with a mainly Phoenician, and later Greek, extraction. However, following the finding of Phoenician archaeological materials in the Méndez Núñez-Las Monjas site, the chronology as to the Phoenician presence was reassessed. The evidence favours solely viewing Huelva-Onoba as a very early Phoenician colony, a development which was parallel to a certain "dismantling" of the idea of Tartessos as a mainly autochthonous archaeological culture, even though the tentative identification of Huelva with Tartessos was not discarded, but rather kept. Tartessos has also been identified with the biblical

Tarshish Tarshish (; ; ) occurs in the Hebrew Bible with several uncertain meanings, most frequently as a place (probably a large city or region) far across the sea from Phoenicia (now Lebanon) and the Land of Israel. Tarshish was said to have exported v ...

. First contacts with the local

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

n presence have been hypothesised to have taken place as early as 1015 to 975 BCE. However, remains such as those found in the Méndez Núñez-Las Monjas go so far as to show a likely Phoenician settlement of the 9th century BCE, especially to resemble a founding date of a Tyrian settlement from the reign of

Ithobaal I Ithobaal I is the name of a 9th-century BCE king of Tyre mentioned in the story of Jezebel from the Hebrew Bible, and in a citation by Josephus of a list of the kings of Tyre put together by the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus (2nd century ...

between 875 and 850, although the Méndez Núñez-Las Monjas' archaeological finds have been brought forward as evidence of a 10th-century BCE founding chronology in the era of

Hiram I Hiram I ( Phoenician: 𐤇𐤓𐤌 ''Ḥirōm'' "my brother is exalted"; Hebrew: חירם ''Ḥīrām''; also called ''Hirom'' or ''Huram'')Eteocypriot Eteocypriot is an extinct non-Indo-European language that was spoken in Cyprus by a non-Hellenic population during the Iron Age. The name means "true" or "original Cypriot" parallel to Eteocretan, both of which names are used by modern scholars t ...

s, Cypriot Phoenicians and Sardinian Phoenicians. As a Phoenician outpost, it facilitated local exports such as

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

, purple dye and

salted fish Salted fish, such as kippered herring or dried and salted cod, is fish cured with dry salt and thus preserved for later eating. Drying or salting, either with dry salt or with brine, was the only widely available method of preserving fish unt ...

, while it also served as node in the trade routes connecting the Northern Atlantic, the Southern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Population notably increased from the mid-8th century BCE onward, possibly connected to the arrival of refugees fleeing from Tiglath-Pileser III and, overall, from the economic crisis and social unrest induced by the Assyrian subjugation of the Levant. It was called ''ʿunʿu baʿl'' ("

Baal Baal (), or Baʻal, was a title and honorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The ...

's fort") by the Phoenicians, which in most

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

texts corrupted to (''Onoba''). The Tartessian world entered a crisis in the 6th century BCE. The transition from the Tartessian period to the ensuing

Turdetani The Turdetani were an ancient pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula, pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula, living in the valley of the Guadalquivir (the river that the Turdetani called by two names: ''Kertis'' and ''Rérkēs'' (Ῥέ� ...

period was presumably slow and not traumatic, degenerating from an economy based on mining to a new one focused on the trade of agricultural and fishing products. It was in the hands of the

at the time of conquest by

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and before the conquest, it issued silver coins with Iberian lettering.

Antiquity

The place was called both ''Onoba Æstuaria'' or ''Onuba'' (used on coinage) during Roman times, or, simply, ''Onoba''. It was put in the Roman province of Hispania Bætica. According to the

Antonine Itinerary The Antonine Itinerary (, "Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is an , a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly in part from a survey carried out under Augustus, it describes t ...

: it was a maritime town between the Anas, (modern

Guadiana The Guadiana River ( , , , ) is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from la Mancha and the e ...

) and Bætis (modern

Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from Seville ...

); it was on the estuary of the Luxia (modern

), and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida). There are still some Roman remains. Huelva hosted a mint; and many coins have been found there bearing the name of the town as Onuba.

Middle Ages

Soon after the beginning of the Umayyad invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711, ''Onuba'' was seized by the troops of

Musa ibn Nusayr Musa ibn Nusayr ( ''Mūsá bin Nuṣayr''; 640 – c. 716) was an Arab general and governor who served under the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I. He ruled over the Muslim province of Ifriqiya, and directed the Islamic conquest of the Visigothic King ...

by April 712. Within a few decades, to both the broader Islamic world and the conquered locals, the town's name had corrupted to ولبة (''Walba''). During the

fitna of al-Andalus The Fitna of al-Andalus () (1009–1031) was a civil war in the Caliphate of Córdoba. It began in the year 1009 with a coup d'état which led to the assassination of Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, the son of Almanzor, the deposition of the Caliph H ...

a weak and ephemeral

taifa The taifas (from ''ṭā'ifa'', plural ''ṭawā'if'', meaning "party, band, faction") were the independent Muslim principalities and kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal and Spain), referred to by Muslims as al-Andalus, that em ...

emerged following the demise of local Umayyad control: the '' bakrid'', from 1012 to 1051. In the latter year, it was annexed by the more powerful

Taifa of Seville The Taifa of Seville ( ''Ta'ifat-u Ishbiliyyah'') was an Arab kingdom which was ruled by the Abbadid dynasty. It was established in 1023 and lasted until 1091, in what is today southern Spain and Portugal. It gained independence from the Calipha ...

, to be later occupied by the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

in 1091. By 1262, Huelva—then part of the

Taifa of Niebla The Taifa of Niebla () was an Arab taifa kingdom that existed during three distinct time periods: from 1023 to 1053, from 1145 to 1150 and from 1234 to 1262. From 1053 until 1091 it was under the forcible control of Taifa of Seville, by Abbad I ...

—was taken by

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

. From 1265 onward, Huelva enjoyed an exemption from the ''portazgo'' tribute, a portage tax. Following the Christian conquest, the town became a '' royal demesne'' for a short time, until it was ceded in Lordship to Admiral in 1293 by

Sancho IV of Castile Sancho IV of Castile (12 May 1258 – 25 April 1295) called the Brave (''el Bravo''), was the king of Castile, León and Galicia (now parts of Spain) from 1284 to his death. Following his brother Ferdinand's death, he gained the s ...

. After a period during which Huelva was probably controlled by Seville, the ''

tenencia In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...

'' of the lordship was passed to several lords, including

Alonso Meléndez de Guzmán Alonso Meléndez de Guzmán (b. ? - d. 1342) was a Spanish people, Spanish noble from León, Spain, León of the House of Guzmán. Alonso was the Grand Masters of the Order of Santiago, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago from 1338 to 1342. Fa ...

—brother of

Eleanor de Guzmán Leonor (Eleanor) de Guzmán y Ponce de León (1310–1351) was a Castilian noblewoman. After about 1330, she became the long-term mistress and favourite of Alfonso XI, with whom she had the illegitimate son Henry "the Fratricidal", future first ...

—(in 1338) and Juan Alfonso de la Cerda (). Huelva, again a ''realengo'' for a short time during the reign of Peter I, saw its privileges confirmed and was granted the right to choose the ''alcalde'' and the ''alguacil'' in 1351. The lordship was soon given to the king's mistress,

María de Padilla María Díaz de Padilla ( 1334 –Seville, July 1361) was the mistress of King Peter of Castile, whom he posthumously recognised as his wife. Family She was a Castilian noblewoman, daughter of Juan García de Padilla (died between 1348 a ...

Early modern history

It suffered substantial damage in the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, All Saints' Day, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In ...

. Huelva became a leading fishing town in Andalusia in the 16th century (thriving in the

sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

and

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

markets). The town became a provincial capital in 1833.

Modern history

Mines in the countryside still send copper and

pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

to Huelva's port for export. From about 1873, the major mining company has been Rio Tinto.Ben Macintyre, Operation Mincemeat; How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, Harmony Books, Chapter 8 Huelva acquired the status of city (''ciudad'') by means of a royal decree on 17 September 1876. The ore-smelting caused severe

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...

pollution and was frequently met by the protests of local farmers, peasants and miners, allied under the anarchist

Syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

leader Maximiliano Tornet. On 4 February 1888, the Pavi Regiment of the Spanish Army opened fire on demonstrators at the village plaza of Rio Tinto. Historians estimate the number of deaths at 100 to 200.David Avery, Not on Queen Victoria's Birthday: The Story of the Rio Tinto Mines, Collins, London, 1974. p. 207; 6, pp. 83 ff. One hundred years later, environmentalists defending the nearby village of

Nerva Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynast ...

referred to 1888 as the "year of shots", in their protests against the provincial government's plans to site a large waste dump in a disused mine in the 1990s.Joan Martinez-Alier, Mining conflicts, environmental justice, and valuation, in Journal of Hazardous Materials 86 (2001) 153–170 The local football club,

was founded in 1889 by workers of

Rio Tinto Group Rio Tinto Group is a British-Australian multinational company that is the world's second largest metals and mining corporation (behind BHP). It was founded in 1873 when a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Río Tinto, in Hu ...

. Nicknamed the '' Decano'' of Spanish football, it is the longest-playing football club in Spain. The 17–18 July 1936 military coup d'état that started the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

failed in the city and much of the province. However, on 27 July, 500 ''guardias civiles'' rose in arms against the Republic in the city, with the authorities escaping and later being shot down. Two days later, on 29 July, a rebel column from Seville on behalf of

Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra (5 February 1875 – 9 March 1951) was a Spanish Army general. He distinguished himself quickly in his career, fighting in Cuba and Morocco, later becoming outspoken about military and political figures which led ...

took control of the city. For the rest of the conflict, it remained to the rear of the zone controlled by the Rebel faction. The ensuing Francoist repression took a heavy toll, with an estimated total of deaths all over the province for the rearguard and post-war repression. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the city was a hub of espionage activities led by members of the large British and German

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

communities. German activity centered on reporting British shipping moving in and out of the Atlantic. Most famously, the outskirts was where

Operation Mincemeat Operation Mincemeat was a successful British disinformation, deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who die ...

allowed a

cadaver A cadaver, often known as a corpse, is a Death, dead human body. Cadavers are used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue (biology), tissue to ...

carrying forged identification to wash ashore. Twenty-five years after the city was declared a ''Polo de Desarrollo Industrial'' ("Pole of Industrial Development") in 1964, the population had nearly doubled.

Geography

;Location Huelva is in the Southwest of the

, in the

, facing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The coastline straddling along the Gulf of Cádiz is known as

Costa de la Luz The Costa de la Luz (, "Coast of Light") is a section of the Andalusian coast in Spain facing the Atlantic. It extends from Tarifa in the south, along the coasts of the Province of Cádiz and the Province of Huelva, to the mouth of the Guadian ...

. The city lies next to the estuary formed by the confluence of the

and

, sandwiched in between both rivers. A rather wide estuary in ancient times, the estuary of Huelva progressively silted up to a large extent.

Transportation

Huelva is home to Grupo Damas, a major provincial bus company providing connections between Huelva and other cities in Spain. The city has a modern train station, inaugurated in 2018, which connects Huelva to Seville via regular trains and to Madrid through daily high-speed AVE train services. Currently, there are no direct train services between Huelva and Portugal. The

Port of Huelva The Port of Huelva is a cargo and fishing port located off the Spanish southwestern coast, belonging to the municipalities of Huelva and Palos de la Frontera. With a total annual traffic capacity of 33.8 million tonnes, it is the second biggest por ...

offers passenger ferry services operated by Naviera Armas. The ferry ''Volcán del Teide'' provides weekly connections to

Arrecife Arrecife (; ; ) is the capital city and a municipality of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It was made the island's capital in 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ("arrecife" being Spanish for "reef") which covers its local beach. It als ...

(Lanzarote) and

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

in the Canary Islands. Huelva does not have its own airport yet. The nearest airports are

Faro Airport Faro International Airport (, ), officially Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (''Aeroporto Internacional de Faro - Gago Coutinho''), is located westAI of the city of Faro in Portugal. The airport opened in July 1965 being the main ...

(Portugal), approximately 93 km away, and

Seville Airport Seville Airport () is the sixth busiest inland airport in Spain. It is the main international airport serving Western Andalusia in southern Spain, and neighbouring provinces. The airport has flight connections to 20 destinations in Spain and 57 ...

, about 95 km away. Both airports offer a range of domestic and international flights.

Demographics

Huelva had a population of 149,410 in 2010. The city experienced a population boom in the nineteenth century, due to the exploitation of mineral resources in the area, and another with the construction of the ''Polo de Desarrollo'' (industrial hub) in the 1960s. It had a population of 5,377 inhabitants in 1787, which had risen to only 8,519 by 1857. From 1887, the city experienced rapid growth, reaching 21,539 residents in 1900, 56,427 in 1940, and 96,689 in 1970. Rapid expansion occurred in the following decades, and the population reached 141,479 by 1991. From 1997 to 2007, immigration both from abroad and from the surrounding area sustained population growth. In 2007, the city reached a population of 145,000, while the metropolitan area had nearly 232,000 inhabitants, encompassing the surrounding areas of Aljaraque,

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2023 census, it has a population of 22,956. Its surface area is , and its population density is . The present site of Moguer had been ho ...

, San Juan del Puerto, Punta Umbría,

Gibraleón Gibraleón is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population info ...

, and

Palos de la Frontera Palos de la Frontera () is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the southwestern Spain, Spanish province of Huelva (province), Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capi ...

. The 2006 census recorded a foreign-born population of almost 5,000 people in the urban centre, the majority of whom were of Moroccan origin.

Climate

Huelva and its metropolitan area experience a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''), characterized by mild, wet winters and long, hot, dry summers. The average annual temperature is approximately 18.1°C (64.6°F), with average highs reaching 25.5°C (77.9°F) in August and lows of 11.4°C (52.5°F) in January. Annual precipitation is around per year, typically spread across 53 rainy days, with December being the wettest month. Extreme temperatures have included a high of 43.9°C (111.0°F) recorded on 25 July 2022 and a low of -3.2°C (29°F) recorded in January. While Huelva experiences milder conditions near the coastline, its location near the river delta slightly amplifies summer warmth. Snowfall is an extremely rare phenomenon in the city of Huelva. The most significant snowfalls recorded occurred in February 1954 and January 1991, with snow depths reaching up to 10 cm (4 in) and 15 cm (6 in), respectively, causing notable disruptions due to the region's lack of preparedness for such events. Huelva's climate is further influenced by being in the Atlantic Ocean, which moderates temperatures, particularly in coastal areas. The Sierra de Huelva's unique microclimate also contributes to its occasional snowfalls yearly, making it a distinct feature compared to the otherwise temperate lowlands.

Artists

The most well-known artists in Huelva have been the poet and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

, the sculptor Antonio León Ortega, the writer Nicolas Tenorio Cerero and the painter Daniel Vázquez Díaz.
Other outstanding artists from Huelva include the painters

José Caballero José Caballero may refer to: * José Caballero (baseball), Panamanian professional baseball player * José Caballero (painter), Spanish painter * Jose Caballero (martial artist), Filipino martial arts practitioner * José Luis Caballero, Mexican f ...

, Pedro Gómez y Gómez, Antonio Brunt, Mateo Orduña Castellano, Pablo Martínez Coto, Manuel Moreno Díaz, Juan Manuel Seisdedos Romero, Francisco Doménech, Esperanza Abot, José María Labrador, Sebastián García Vázquez, Pilar Barroso, Juan Carlos Castro Crespo, Lola Martín, Antonio Gómez Feu, Rafael Aguilera, and Florencio Aguilera Correa.

Miguel Báez Espuny Miguel Báez Espuny (5 October 1930 – 18 May 2022), better known as "El Litri", was a Spanish bullfighter, a descendant of one of Huelva's foremost bullfighting dynasties. His grandfather, his father, and his half-brother were likewise bullfi ...

, called ''el Litri'', was a very famous bullfighter from Huelva; his son, named Miguel Báez Spínola, was also a very renowned bullfighter who retired in 1999.

Sports

The city is home to

, the oldest

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club in Spain.

Events

* Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos: Held on January 5th, this traditional parade features the Three Wise Men distributing sweets and gifts to children, marking the culmination of the Christmas season. * Carnaval: Celebrated in February, the carnival includes vibrant parades, music, and dance, with participants donning elaborate costumes, reflecting the city's festive spirit. * Semana Santa (Holy Week): During March or April, Huelva's streets come alive with solemn processions, religious imagery, and traditional music, commemorating the Passion of Christ. * Romería del Rocío: In late May or early June, pilgrims from Huelva join thousands from across Spain to journey to the village of El Rocío in one of the country's most significant religious pilgrimages. * Colombinas Festivities (Fiestas Colombinas): Held in late July and early August, these festivities honor Christopher Columbus's departure from Huelva's port the 3rd of August of 1492, featuring concerts, fairs, and cultural events. * Fiestas de la Cinta: Held between 3–8 September, commemorate Virgin Cinta with concerts and a festival. * Ibero-American Film Festival

Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva The Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival () is the oldest film festival in Europe dedicated to the Ibero-American cinema. It has been held since 1975 in Huelva, Spain. During the first editions, it was known as (). The festival was originally or ...

:In November, this festival showcases films from Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal, promoting cultural exchange and cinematic excellence. * San Sebastián, festival 20 January * Fiesta de la Gamba, Jamón y del Vino (Prawn, Ham, and Wine Festival): A gastronomic highlight of the year, this festival in spring celebrates local delicacies, including fresh prawns, Iberian ham, and regional wines, drawing food lovers from across Andalusia. * Fiesta de la Tapa: Typically held during the year, this event offers visitors and locals the chance to sample a wide variety of tapas from local restaurants, showcasing the region's culinary diversity.

Nearby

Near Huelva, in the Huelva River estuary, lies ''Herculis Insula'', mentioned by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

(iii. p. 170), called by

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

(''s. v.''), now '' Isla Saltés''. The

Doñana National Park Doñana National Park or Parque Nacional y Natural de Doñana is a natural reserve in Andalusia, southern Spain, in the provinces of Huelva (most of its territory within the municipality of Almonte), Cádiz and Seville. It covers , of which are ...

is in the south-east of Huelva territory.

Notable people

Al-Bakri Abū ʿUbayd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAmr al-Bakrī (), or simply al-Bakrī (c. 1040–1094) was an Arab Andalusian historian and a geographer of the Muslim West. Life Al-Bakri was born in Huelva, the ...

(1040-1094), historian and geographer * Francisco Manuel de las Heras y Borrero (1951–2013), Spanish historian * Cinta Pérez (born 1985), former footballer *

Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish badminton player. She is an Badminton at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's singles, Olympic Champion, three-time BWF World Championships, World Champion, and eight-time Europea ...

(born 1993), professional badminton player * Yosef ben HaLevi HaIvri (born in the 15th century), a Jew who accompanied

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

as an interpreter on his first voyage.

Twin towns – sister cities

Huelva is twinned with:

References

;Informational notes ;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * *

References

External links

Información sobre la Sierra de Aracena

– Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía

Andalucia Destination
Huelva municipal government
Official Website

Andalucia Destination
Port Authority of Huelva
Official web page with information about the port, its history and technical characteristics.

** **

Juntadeandalucia.es. Juan David Ayllón Burguillo
Doñana Natural Park

Sierra de Aracena Natural Park

Moodle Centros Huelva
{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Huelva Phoenician colonies in Spain Roman sites in Spain

History

Protohistory

Antiquity

Middle Ages

Early modern history

Modern history

Geography

Transportation

Demographics

Climate

Artists

Sports

Events

Nearby

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

References

External links