Trujillo () is a municipality located in

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- ...

, an

autonomous community of Spain 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 Spai ...

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 ...

. In 2013 the municipality had 9,086 inhabitants (INE Census, 2013). Originally settled on a granite knoll, which was readily fortified, the town now extends to the southeast of its original site. Trujillo is both a centre for tourism, with more than 25 hotels, and a regional market town. The old town contains many medieval and renaissance buildings. It hosts the national cheese festival in early May.

History

Trujillo was settled on a granite

batholith A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate ...

during

Prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

times. In Roman times the town was known as ''Turgalium'' and became a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

stipendiary A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

of the

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

n capital,

Emerita Augusta Augusta Emerita, also called Emerita Augusta, was a Roman '' colonia'' founded in 25 BC in present day Mérida, Spain. The city was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus to resettle Emeriti soldiers from the veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars ...

(today's Mérida). Later it was colonised by

East Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

(mainly

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

), although most of the population would still have been Hispano-Roman. Following the

Islamic conquest The Muslim conquests, Muslim invasions, Islamic conquests, including Arab conquests, Arab Islamic conquests, also Iranian Muslim conquests, Turkic Muslim conquests etc. *Early Muslim conquests ** Ridda Wars **Muslim conquest of Persia *** Muslim co ...

after 711, Trujillo became one of the main towns in the region (known as ترجالة ''Turjaala'' in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

). This taifa was subject to the Umayyad Emirate and the subsequent

Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

ruled until the middle of the 11th century. During this time the ethnic tensions between

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

and

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

weakened the Caliphate militarily. Following the seizure of a large part of the territory of the former Taifa of Toledo 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 ...

from

Alfonso VI Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

, Trujillo became a site from where Almoravid '' razzias'' were launched against the land of Talavera in the early 12th century. During the time of Almohad rule, wars with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Castile and León guaranteed that the possession of Trujillo was tenuous. Rule alternated between these kingdoms and the

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

, returning for the last time to the Muslims in 1195. Between 1188 and 1195 it was the headquarters of the military order of Trujillo. In the Spring of 1196, with help from the

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

, Almohads raided the Tagus valley and occupied Santa Cruz and Trujillo, which had been previously left forsaken by the order of Trujillo. An army formed by forces of the military orders and the

Bishop of Plasencia The Diocese of Plasencia () is a suffragan Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz, Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz, in Extremadura, western Spain.

laid siege to Trujillo with the support of Ferdinand III.

Ibn Hud Abū ’Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf ibn Hūd al-Judhamī (Arabic: محمد بن يوسف بن هود, died 1238), commonly known as Ibn Hud, was a taifa emir who controlled much of al-Andalus from 1228 to 1238. He was a descendant of the Hudi ...

tried to relieve the town but was driven off by the besieging army. The town was finally captured on 25 January 1232. During the final assault, according to the local legend, the Christian forces were faltering just short of victory when many reported seeing the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

(known as ''Virgen de la Victoria'' in Spanish, or the ''Virgin Mary of Victory'') between the two towers, or ''Arco del Triunfo,'' in the castle. Sufficiently inspired, Christian troops pressed on and achieved victory, defeating the Muslims, who were inside. Together with

Plasencia Plasencia () is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. , it has a population of 41,047. Plasencia is located in the Western-Central Iberian Peninsula, to the south of the Sistema Central. Housing primarily ...

, Cáceres and Coria, Trujillo was one of the few major royal demesne towns in the region, where otherwise ''maestrazgo'' lands tended to prevail.

Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germany on 1 Ap ...

granted Trujillo a ''

fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...

'' in 1256.

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–114 ...

conferred on Trujillo the status of city (''ciudad'') in 1430 by means of a '. Later there was a Jewish quarter outside the powerful medieval walls. Trujillo, with the growth of the population, was gradually extended beyond the walls. Explorers from Trujillo, called ''Trujillanos'', crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the Western Hemisphere. On their return they built majestic palaces near the Plaza Mayor and surrounds, most of which can now be visited.

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...

, an explorer from Trujillo, came back and helped enrich his family in the Plaza Mayor. His daughter by an Incan princess returned at the age of 17, married her uncle and lived the rest of her life in Trujillo as a lady of great estate. After 1595 the city experienced the arrival of a number of forcibly relocated 'new

morisco ''Moriscos'' (, ; ; "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Catholic Church and Habsburg Spain commanded to forcibly convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed Islam. Spain had a sizeable Mus ...

s' banished from

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. From 1610 to 1611, about 130 ''morisco'' families (590 individuals) were reportedly expelled from Trujillo, although the permanence of a number of 'old moriscos', who enjoyed support from the local society, remained a cause of concern. During the War for Independence, one of the first authorities that responded to the call of the Junta of

Móstoles Móstoles () is a municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. With over 200,000 inhabitants, it is the region's second most populated municipality after Madrid. Móstoles was a small town for a long time, but ...

in May 1808 was the mayor of Trujillo,

Antonio Martin Rivas Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

, who prepared enlistments of volunteers, with food and arms, plus the mobilization of troops, to go to the aid of the Junta. Trujillo was captured by the French in 1811 and held until 1812. In 1834, the city became the official headquarters of the Judicial District of Trujillo. In the census of 1842, it had 110 households and 6026 residents.

Geography

Climate

Trujillo has a hot-summer

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

climate, type ''Csa'', in the modified

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 ...

classification.

Ecology

As in many towns in Extremadura, Trujillo's old buildings provide homes for a breeding population of

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

s. Other birds of interest include the

Lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer bird migration, migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and someti ...

, which nests in the bull-ring and other urban sites.A

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

(or ZEPA) has been designated for the Lesser kestrel.

Monuments

Trujillo has a rich heritage. Among the most important monuments are the Castle ( Alcazaba), the church of Santiago, the church of ''Santa María la Mayor'', the church of ''San Francisco'', the Church of ''San Martín'', the ''Plaza Mayor'', and renaissance palaces such as the palace of the Marquis of the Conquest, the palace of the Orellana-Pizarro family, the palace of the Duques de San Carlos, Marquesado de Piedras Albas, the house of the strong Altamirano, Palace Chaves (Luis Chaves Old), and of course the walled old town. The Palacio de Piedras Albas was built circa 1530 by Don Pedro Suárez de Toledo, formerly owned by the family of the conquistador and explorer

Francisco de Orellana Francisco de Orellana (; 1511 – November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amazon, arriving at the river's mouth on 24 A ...

, the Marqueses de Orellana and later by the Marqueses de San Juan de Piedras Albas. The city has several museums, including the Museum of Coria (Javier Salas Foundation), Pizarro's House, Enrique Elías Museum (local designer), and the Museum of Cheese and Wine.

Events

The ''Chiviri''

The culmination of Holy Week is celebrated on Easter Sunday (declared an event of regional interest). The town square is full of people dressed in local costumes. They sing, dance, eat and drink to the beat of Chíviri. The following day, Easter Monday, is a holiday in the city and locals have the custom of going to the countryside for picnics.

National Cheese Fair

On 1 May, the National Cheese Fair takes place, which is the most important cheese competition in Spain. The ''Plaza Mayor'' becomes a huge fair where it is possible to taste cheeses from around Spain. This festival draws a large crowd, with organizers reporting that approximately 100,000 people attend on a yearly basis.

Festivities in honour of ''Virgen de la Victoria''

They take place at the end of August or in early September. During the festival the Virgen de la Victoria (Our Lady of Victory) is moved from her normal place in the chapel of the Castle to the church of San Martín, in the ''Plaza Mayor'', where the religious events are celebrated. In addition, there are puppets (The Adventures of ''Peneque el Valiente'' (Peneque the brave) with Miguel Pino), capeas and the Festival of Music, Dance and Theatre in the Castle. Also a local teenager is elected as "Queen of the festivities" and she has her own entourage.

Twin cities

Twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

with Trujillo are: * Almagro, Spain. * Batalha, Portugal. *

Castegnato Castegnato (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Brescia, in Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a populatio ...

, Italy. *

Santa Fe de Antioquia Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately north of Medellín, the department capital. The population was 23,216 at the 2018 census. History Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robled ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. *

Piura Piura is a city in northwestern Peru, located north of the Sechura Desert along the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017 and it is the 7th most populous city in Peru. ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. * Trujillo,

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Gallery

File:Vista de Trujillo, Cáceres, España, 2023-07-22, DD 09.jpg, View of Trujillo File:Plaza Mayor de Trujillo - 01.jpg, Plaza Mayor File: Plaza de Trujillo, panorámica.jpg, Panorama of the Plaza Mayor File:Estatua_de_Francisco_Pizarro_en_Trujillo.JPG, Francisco Pizarro statue File: Trujillo - Palacio del Marqués de la Conquista 05.jpg, Palace of the Marqués de la Conquista File: Trujillo - Palacio de la Conquista - Coat of arms - 2.jpg, Coat of Arms of the Palacio de la Conquista File: Casa del Arcediano de Trujillo (Plasencia).jpg, House of the Archdiosces of Trujillo File:Casa_Museo_de_Francisco_Pizarro_en_Trujillo.JPG, Home-Museum of Francisco Pizarro File: Casa de Francisco Pizarro (Trujillo-Cáceres) - Cocina.jpg, Kitchen of the House of Francisco Pizarro File: Casa de Francisco de Orellana (Trujillo, Cáceres).jpg, House of Francisco de Orellana File: Trujillo - Monumento a Francisco de Orellana 2.jpg, Monument to Francisco de Orellana File: Palacio Juan Pizarro de Orellana, Trujillo, Cáceres.jpg, Juan Pizarro de Orellana Palace File: Patio del Palacio de Juan Pizarro de Orellana (Trujillo, España).jpg, Patio of the Juan Pizarro de Orellana Palace File:Las murallas de Trujillo2.JPG, The Castle File:Vue des remparts du château.JPG, Old church beside the Castle File:Plaza_trujillo_noche.JPG, The Plaza Mayor at night File:Conjunto Urbano de la Ciudad de Trujillo (Cáceres) - RI-53-0000034 - WLM.jpg, Conjunto Urbano de la Ciudad de Trujillo File: Casa de los Rol-Zárate y Zúñiga en Trujillo. (Cáceres).JPG, Casa de los Rol-Zárate y Zúñiga File: Iglesia de San Martín, Trujillo, Cáceres, España, 2023-07-22, DD 08.jpg, San Martin Church File:Convento de Santa Clara, Trujillo, Cáceres, España, 2023-07-22, DD 15.jpg, Santa Clara Convent (Parador Tourism Hotel) File: Trujillo - Convento de Santa Clara (Parador de Turismo) 19.jpg, Courtyard of the Santa Clara Convent Parador Hotel File: Trujillo - Convento de San Antonio (Hotel Izan Trujillo) 15.jpg, San Antonio Convent (Hotel Izan Trujillo) File: Trujillo - Convento de la Merced 6.jpg, La Merced Convent File: Claustro del Convento de San Francisco el Real, Trujillo.jpg, Cloister of the Convent of San Francisco el Real File: Patio de la Casa de las Banderas, Trujillo (Cáceres).jpg, Courtyard of the Casa de las Banderas File: Palacio de los marqueses de Piedras Albas, en la Plaza mayor de Trujillo. (Cáceres).JPG, Palace of the Marquis of Piedras Albas on the Main Plaza in Trujillo File: Trujillo - Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta 1.jpg, Palacio Santa Marta File: Trujillo - Correos 1.jpg, Trujillo Post Office File: Trujillo - Hotel Victoria 3.jpg, Hotel Victoria File: Casa de los Chaves-Calderón (Trujillo, Cáceres).jpg, House of the Chaves--Calderón File: Trujillo - Palacio de los Chaves-Orellana (Casa de la Cadena) 1.jpg, Chaves-Orellana Palace File: Palacio de San Carlos (Trujillo-Cáceres) - Fachada a la Plaza Mayor.jpg, San Carlos Palace File: Palacio de Sofraga (Trujillo, Cáceres).jpg, Sofraga Palace File: Trujillo - Calle Encarnación nº 16 (7).jpg, Calle Encarnación nº 16 File: Trujillo Plazuela del Prior de Quiroga 065.jpg, Plaza of the Pryor of Quiroga File: Trujillo Torre 072.jpg, Trujillo Tower File: Trujillo tower.jpg, Trujillo Tower File: Aljibe de Altamirano (9 de diciembre de 2006, Trujillo).jpg, Aljibe (Cistern) de Altamirano File: Trujillo Calle San Pedro 069.jpg, Calle San Pedro File: Trujillo-ayuntamiento-(DavidDaguerro).JPG, Trujillo City Hall File: Fuente del Convento de la Inmaculada Concepción (Trujillo).jpg, Fountain at the Convent of the Immaculate Conception File: Ciconia ciconia (nidos).101 - Trujillo.jpg, Storks are a common sight on towers throughout Trujillo and Extremadura File: Castillo de Trujillo-Puerta de acceso desde el interior.JPG, Entry gate to Trujillo File: Teatro Municipal de Trujillo 2023.jpg, Trujillo Municipal Theater File: Palacio de los Vargas-Carvajal (ss. XVI-XVII).jpg, Vargas-Carvajal Palace File: Robledillo de Trujillo 12.jpg, Street in Trujillo File: Robledillo de Trujillo 11.jpg, Street in Trujillo File: Vista del interior de la Puerta de San Andrés (al fondo de la imágen), de la muralla de Trujillo. (Cáceres).JPG, View of the wall and street from the San Andres Gate File: Alberca árabe (9 de diciembre de 2006, Trujillo).jpg, Arab pool File: Puerta de Santiago (9 de diciembre de 2006, Trujillo) 01.jpg, Santiago Gate

References

; Citations ; Bibliography * * *

External links

Tourist information

Map

Leisure

Trujillo cuisine, sights and transport

National Cheese Fair

��More information about the history of the National Cheese Fair (In Spanish)

Local information

City Council

Local TV

Javier Catalan's news

HOY Newspaper's news
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trujillo, Caceres Municipalities in the Province of Cáceres Special Protection Areas of Extremadura