Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans peopled this province and left behind an important testimony of their presence all along the Cadiz coast. What’s more, a series of historic milestones highlight how closely Cadiz is linked to the rest of the Iberian peninsula: in 711, the Muslims conquered these lands by defeating the Visigoths at the Guadalitete river, thus changing the course of history; on three occasions Columbus’ ships set sail from here on his voyages to the New World, and arrived home in these same ports, which over time were transformed into a meeting point for the cultural currents between Andalusia and America.
Sevilla
The Guadalquivir river –the ancient Betis– flows between the foothills of the Sierra Morena to the north and the Sierra Sur mountains in the south, irrigating a rich and fertile valley. In its lower course, 70 kilometres from the sea, is the ancient city of Seville, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Andalusia and of the largest and most densely populated province in Andalusia. The towns and cities on the shores of the river are living testimony to its historic and cultural past. Seville, the emblematic city of universal renown, has been Arab, Jewish and Roman, and its river and its river port have served as a privileged destination for trade with the West Indies.