Cadiz- a walk through history

The city of Cadiz is about 3,000 years old, and during that time has been a settlement of the Phonecians, the Romans, the Visigoths, Moors, and the Spanish. It is the longest continuously-inhabited city in Europe. Since we live across the Bay of Cadiz, and can see the city from almost all of the local beaches, it is surprising that we have only visited a few times. We previously spent an afternoon exploring Cadiz's fort and beaches, which you can read about here. We recently returned to immerse ourselves in the city's history.

There are several ways to get to Cadiz from Rota. You can take a ferry from Rota or Puerto, which only takes half an hour and costs about 2 Euro per person. We haven't tried that yet. So far, we haven't had much trouble finding parking. This church is located at the Plaza San Antonio, near the center of the city, which has a large underground parking garage beneath it. Yes, a minivan does fit in underground parking, it's just a little tight! :-)







Our first stop was the Plaza de Mina, just a few blocks east of the Plaza San Antonio. This beautiful Plaza was last renovated in the 1800's, and many of the houses were occupied by Cadiz's wealthiest citizens during the city's "Golden Age." It is also the location of the history museum, the Museo de Cadiz, located at 6 Plaza de Mina. Admission is usually 2.50 Euro, but is FREE to EU citizens, or anyone with an EU driver's license.






The museum was excellent, very exciting to my history-buff husband, interesting to me, and even cool to our children. It gave us a great insight and perspective into the 3,000 year long history of this city. First: giant statue of Hercules. According to legend, Hercules founded the city of Gadira (Greek name of Cadiz) approximately 80 years after the Trojan War, or around 1104 B.C. He supposedly accomplished his 10th feat, the slaying of the Geryon, in the Bay of Cadiz. In fact, a Phonecian temple dedicated to the god Melqart is associated with Hercules by the Greeks, and the ruined columns of that temple, which were still standing in the 1st Century, are thought to be the source of the myth of the Pillars of Hercules. Since the Spanish crest that is still used on the flag contains the image of the Pillars of Hercules, he is a relevant national cultural figure.
I have always liked Greek mythology, but I haven't been to too many cities founded by people from the myths!



To the Phoenicians, the city was called Gadir. The museum is organized chronologically, with the city's name on banners throughout. It was interesting to watch the name change over time as different civilizations settled there. Most of the remnants of the Phoenicians are funerary, but the grave sites are pretty cool (my kids loved the skeleton!) and the details on the sarcophagi are very impressive.

After the Phoenicians, the Romans settled the city and called it Gades. It became a thriving naval port, and a site for exporting olive oil and wine. Many of the statues and artifacts from the Roman city of Baelo Claudia are housed here. We formerly visited the actual site of Baelo Claudia, so it was very interesting to see the artifacts and tools and statues that had been recovered.
Roman control lasted from about 500 B.C. - 500 A.D. You can still see the ruins of the Roman theater next to the Cathedral in Cadiz, though the site is currently under construction.
The upstairs of the museum has a small collection of some wonderful paintings and religious artwork, many of them huge and impressive. The kids actually enjoyed several of them, for their size and details, so I recommend it to anyone.






After the Romans, the Visigoths, Moors, and finally the Spanish inhabited the city. The current name Cadiz is derived from the Arabic name, Qadis. During Spain's Golden Age, Cadiz was an important port. Columbus set sail from Cadiz for his 2nd and 4th voyages. It was also the harbor for the Spanish Armada, and in 1587 Sir Francis Drake led a surprise attack that destroyed about 30 Spanish ships. This delayed the sailing of the Armada for over a year, and influenced their eventual defeat. In the 18th century, when the Guadalquivir river become silted and less traversal, all the New World trade that was flowing through Seville was transferred to Cadiz. This was the city's golden age, and if you wander through some of the barios (neighborhoods) the houses were often constructed during that period.

 When Napoleon Bonaparte placed his brother on the Spanish throne, Cadiz was one of the few cities to withstand his rule during the "Peninsula War." It was in Cadiz that the Constitution of 1812 was passed. The monument to the Constitution of 1812 is on the Eastern side of the city, easy walking distance from the museum, and is a very impressive memorial with a perpetual flame, and an empty chair surrounded by allegorical figures. Because Cadiz upheld the constitution, that meant that for a brief period Cadiz was the capital of Spain. When the constitution was to be renewed in 1820, the Gaditanos (people of Cadiz) revolted to secured its renewal, and their revolt spread across the country, becoming the Spanish Civil War.

With such an impressive history, Cadiz is an interesting town worth several visits. The great food, beautiful beaches, quiet neighborhoods, and huge cathedral are all just added benefits. I think we will be back again soon for more visits!