Guadix - Catedral de la Encarnación

About 6 km northwest of Guadix, are the ruins of Acci, mentioned in Pliny's Natural History. It is not known for certain whether it is of Phoenician or of early Spanish origin, but the existence of an oppidum with a well-defined urban plan from the 6th century BC has been documented. Julius Caesar established a colony called Julia Gemella. According to tradition, it was the seat of the first bishopric in Hispania, in the 2nd century. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the population may have in large part moved to rural areas.

After 711 it rose to some importance as a Moorish fortress and trading station, renamed Wadi 'Ashi. The city was the site of the Battle of Guadix in 1362 in which a small Castilian army was routed by the forces of Muhammed VI, Sultan of Granada.

In 1489 the city surrendered without a siege to the kingdom of Ferdinand and Isabella.

The construction of the Catedral de la Encarnación began in 1510 on the site of the mosque and was not completed until 1796. The long construction period resulted in a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque.