Arcos de la Frontera - Basilica de Santa Maria de la Asunción

Arcos de la Frontera is a one of the "Pueblos Blancos", the "White Towns of Andalusia".

The old part of the town is located on a steep cliff above the river Guadalete. Arcos was an independent Moorish town for long. Though Alphonso X of Castile expelled the Moors. The area was a frontier between the Christian and the Moorish troops upto 1492, when Granada after a long siege ultimatively fell, what ended the Reconquista.

The Basilica de Santa Maria de la Asunción, located at the central "Plaza del Cabildo", is older than it seems. The building was originally started by Alphonso XIt on the site of the mosque und was completed in the 14th century. It got later largely remodeled. The massive bell tower was added in the 18th century - and carries 11 bells.