Ayamonte History - A Brief Journey Into The PastAyamontes' history is rich and diverse and is reflected in a number of historical places in the town. Ayamonte - Historical Places are well worth a visit. Although Ayamonte is generally referred to as a town it was actually granted city status in 1665 by King Felipe IV. The city status reflected its' importance in terms of strategic border location for the Spanish Kingdom. For me the place has the feel of a town rather than a city and therefore I will continue to refer to it that way.
The history of the town is closely linked to that of Andalusia as a whole even though it feels detached because of its' proximity to Portugal. The town has always retained a Spanish feel and it is difficuilt to trace Portugese influences on the place.
The Costa de la Luz lays claim to having the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz. Cadiz was established as a city in 1100 BC by the Phoenicians for whom it was an important trading port. Andalusia was widely settled by the Phoenicians before the arrival of the Celts and the Tartessus Kingdom.
Prior to the arrival of the Romans in 206 BC Andalusia was colonised by the Carthaginians around 500 BC. The Romans referred to the region of Andalusia as Betis after the river which is now known as the Guadalquivir. Real Betis one of Sevilla's two football teams derive their name from the Roman word.
After the collapse of the Roman empire the region was savaged by the Barbarians before the Moors began eight centuries of rule. The influence of the Moors is still present throughout the architecture of Andalusia. A visit to see the moorish La Giralda tower in Seville's gothic cathederal is a must for every visitor.
The thirteenth century saw the beginning of the Christian conquest of the Iberian peninsula and the rest as they say is history....
Huelva province is famed as the sailing place of Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon as he is known in Spanish. Columbus who was Italian by birth but had lived in Portugal arrived in the region to look for support. His theory that he could reach India by sailing west found little backing in Portugal but in King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain he found support and funding for his voyages.
Columbus is thought to have stayed in Ayamonte with Rodrigo de Xerez, one of his crew, before setting sail on the first of his four voyages across the Atlantic in 1492. Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera near Huelva and is now generally credited as the first European to have come across America after the Vikings.
Rodrigo de Xerez encountered Cuban tribesman smoking tobacco and brought some home with him, for personal use only offcourse! He is now regarded as the first man to have introduced smoking to the European mainland. Unfortunately, his nasty little habit became a bit too addictive and he was reported to the inquisitions by locals wary of his new practice. He is said to have been imprisoned for between three and seven years, according to different accounts, now that's what you call a smoking ban! One of the towns schools is now named after the sailor.
Ayamonte - Historical Places
|
