The ancient hilltop city of Morón de la Frontera is located 62 kilometres away from Sevilla, at the convergence of the flatlands and the Sierra Sur hills, in the southeastern part of the province. The city, with its pristine white-washed landscape, rises like a mirage above the rolling plain of La Campina and is the birthplace of the Guadaira River. Its 430sq kilometre area is dotted with ancient convents, churches, palaces and manors. The Alcazaba, with its Moorish cistern still stands amidst fountains, mills and irrigation canals.

 

Morón de la Frontera was once a prominent centre of a Moorish state (taifa) and the city got its name after the place of the Moors.

The Paleolithic remains including the dolmens of El hoya del Gigante reveal the city’s prehistoric origins dating back to the Chalcolithic period.

 

The town grew and became an important urban centre under the Romans. A church, one of the oldest in Andalusia, was constructed in Morón after the fall of the Roman Empire. The foundations of the church still exist to date.

The city reached its maximum glory in the 11th century under the Taifa kingdoms. In the 13th century Ferdinand III led the Christian re-conquest, after which the town was given to the Order of Calatrava.

 

Moron was given the title of city in 1894.

July is the best time of year to visit the city of Morón de la Frontera, during the time that the annual flamenco festival is hosted. Though flamenco festivals are held in many regions of Spain, the Morón de la Frontera flamenco festival has a distinctly unique character. However, like many of the other flamenco festivals it is named after a popular Andalusian dish and the flamenco festival in Morón de la Frontera is named “Gazpacho Andaluz’. Enjoy the never-ending sessions of flamenco baile (dance) and cante (song) that are held everywhere during this festival and tuck into the bowls of delicious gazpacho, an Andalucian chilled soup.

 

The Iglesia de San Miguel, which has been declared a cultural interest site, dates back from the early 18th century and is a monument worth visiting. It features a 17th century bell tower and a Baroque portal that was designed by Diego Antonio Diaz and carved from sandstone.  The interior houses many treasures including altar pieces, gold work, furnishings, paintings and a gallery of large religious paintings done in oil by Flemish painter Peter van Lint.

 

The castle of Morón de la Frontera, one of the most prominent monuments in the region, is a medieval construction made of hewn stone and rubblework. The French troops destroyed the castle in 1812. the section that is still standing includes a major part of the rampart that links the twelve towers and two of the original five gates.

 

Enjoy a spectacular view of the town from the Paseo del Gallo, a beautiful promenade situated on top of a hill, adjacent to the Church of Saint Michaela close to the famous castle. A statue of a featherless rooster stands on a gigantic piece of modern stonework that lies like an island amidst flower beds, acacias and palm trees. The statue is symbolic of an old legend of a disgraced tax collector who was thrown out of the city.

 

The Convent of Santa María de la Asunción houses several interesting sculptures and silver work from the 17th and 18th century.

Growing, processing and exporting olives and olive products is the main industry in Moron de Frontera. The Angel Camacho Group is the world’s leading producer and distributor of olives and olive oil. The company owns, raises and harvests more than 80,000 olive trees within the fertile Andalusian regions.

The cuisine in Morón de la Frontera is reflective of typical Andalusian cuisine with liberal use of olives and olive oil. Marinated and stuffed olives are a favourite aperitif. Some of the more famous of the dishes in this region include Gazpacho, meat with fennel, rice with rabbit and saffron, eggs with garlic and quails, goat meat with plenty of pepper and tomatoes and Migas, which is a dish made of fried breadcrumbs. Almond pastries, Tortas de hoja- (a kind of biscuit) and polvorones (shortbread).

 

One of the more distinctive characteristics of the cuisine in Morón de la Frontera, as in all of Andalusia, is the tradition of buying confectionary from the pastry shops of the many convents in the region. This tradition had its origins in the charitable donations of egg yolks that were made to the nuns by the sherry makers who used only the egg whites to clarify the sherry. Some of the more popular pastries available at these convent pastry shops include bollitos de Santa Ines, yemas, mantecado and polvorones.

Though evenings out in Morón de la Frontera  are usually quiet all year around, July brings with it the annual flamenco festival and the festivities continue until the early hours of the morning. Restaurants and bars stay open until late and there is always something going on at all hours of the night.

Steeped in ancient history, a visit to Morón de la Frontera is like taking a journey into the past.