Destinations
Seville has been important for a very long time. The Romans knew it as Hispalis. When the Moors conquered in 711, it became Ishbiliya, eventually capital of the Almohad Caliphate. The Giralda tower was built as a minaret. The Moors left Seville with geometric tilework, courtyard gardens, fountains and ornamental complexity.
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After the Christian reconquest in 1248, Columbus’s voyages gave Seville a monopoly on trade with the Americas. For two centuries, every ship carrying gold, silver and chocolate from the New World docked here. The wealth built the Cathedral and filled the city with baroque palaces.
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The river silted up in the 18th century, trade moved to Cadiz, and Seville became the cultural capital of southern Spain — poetry, flamenco, Holy Week processions and the April Fair. The 1929 Exhibition produced the Plaza de Espana. Today it is Spain’s fourth-largest city, but one where the rhythm of daily life still matters more than productivity.
