May 29th: Caceres

Whilst at Monfrague we spent an afternoon visiting the historic town of Caceres, an hour’s drive away. Caceres old town was built with the proceeds of treasure plundered from the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Here were the homes and palaces of the Conquistadores, all built in the same austere, solid style as if to withstand an assault from the Incas or Mayas should they come looking to reclaim their rightful wealth.

The above is an example of these buildings. The main church looks equally defensive, built in this same “don’t mess with me” style. It contained an exhibition of Russian icons that could best be described as ornate and intricate rather than beautiful, with a couple of exceptions.

As appropriate to a town built on conquest, there was a small military museum, beautifully laid out. It was actually the museum of a Spanish Army regular regiment based in the town so represented a much later era, mainly the last two centuries. The photo below shows a presentation of historic swords, on the surface not unlike the displays in the tourist tat shops in Toledo!

The town was a testimony to the power and strength of Spain 500 years ago, undisputed Euro top dog until 1588 when Drake defeated the Armada, but still a formidable land power long after that.