Montánchez is a municipality located in the
province of Cáceres
The province of Cáceres (; ; ; ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Plasencia, Coria, Navalm ...
,
Extremadura
Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...
,
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 ...
.
It is situated at , some 702 metres above sea level. The municipality has an approximate population of just over 2,000.
The town sits in the
Sierra de Montánchez
Sierra de Montánchez is a mountain range in the greater Montes de Toledo range, Spain. It is named after nearby Montánchez town, the capital of the Tierra de Montánchez comarca, located on its slopes. This range gives its name to the Mancomu ...
, a small mountain range rising above the plains of Extremadura. Its elevated position has earned it the nickname "the balcony of Extremadura".
The town's economy relies principally on agriculture. It is one of the main centres in Spain for the production of ''
jamón ibérico
Jamón ibérico (; Spanish for "Iberian Ham"), known in Portuguese as presunto ibérico (), is a variety of ''jamón'' or ''presunto'', a type of Curing (food preservation), cured leg of pork (primarily Black Iberian pigs) produced in Spain and P ...
'', and also produces wine.
History
Although there is evidence of prehistoric settlement,
the first major residents were the Romans, who founded the town in the 1st century AD. Moorish invaders captured the town in 713, taking advantage of its strategic location in the mountains to build a castle, which still dominates the village today. The town reverted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
in 1230, when it was taken by Alfonso IX. The castle was updated at this time, but continued to form an important defensive line.
See also
*
List of municipalities in Cáceres
This is a list of the municipalities in the provinces of Spain, province of Caceres (province), Cáceres in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. There are 223 municipalities. List
See also
*Geography of Spain
*List of Spanish citie ...
References
External links
History of the town in Spanish - currently incomplete, but with some detailed information on PrehistoryRural accommodation in Montanchez / Alcuescar areaInformation about activities in English also rural accommodation in Montanchez area
Municipalities in the Province of Cáceres
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