Trujillo: Cradle of the Conquistadores
Trip Start
May 15, 2008
1
9
60
Trip End
Jul 24, 2008
Trujillo,
Extremadura,
Spain and Canary Islands
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Trujillo's old town reminded me much of that of Cáceres, but almost everything in Trujillo is colored by the fact that it was the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro and hundreds of other conquistadores who headed to the New World to make fortunes in the 1500s and 1600s. Those men's wealth was brought back to decorate Trujillo, and families began feuding by building bigger and grander houses during the Renaissance era. As a result, the town still has very much of a late Gothic and Renaissance feel to it.
Trujillo's Plaza Mayor was large and impressive and according to some guidebooks is one of the best in Spain
Trujillo - View from Belltower
. In the middle is a huge statue of Pizarro. The residences, many of which are now restaurants and hotels, have interesting decorattions, mostly along the motif of New World exploration. Some even how Spaniards moving Indians from place to place in bondage. Also in the Plaza is the Church of San Martin, whose bell tower is full of nesting storks, like many other buildings in the area. From the Plaza we went through an arched pathway up a hill to the Palacio de Orellana-Pizarro, but didn't go inside. Coming back through the Plaza Mayor, we saw a procession in honor of Corpus Christi (which had been the previous Thursday).From the Plaza Mayor, we then entered La Villa, the oldest part of Trujillo, which is still surrounded by the old town walls. We continued to walk through the town, passing the Santa Maria Mayor Church. We climbed to the top of the church's tower, which showed amazing views of the city. We then went to Pizarro's House, which has now been turned into a museum devoted to the exploration, and conquest, of the America's. It had interesting photographs and artifacts from Latin America, as well as copies of letters written home by Pizarro when he was in the Americas.
Lunch was, by far, the highlight of my visit. We ate at a restaurant off the Plaza Mayor, Meson La Troya. It was family style, and each table came with a huge loaf of bread, a Spanish torilla, bottles of wine and water, a salad, and salami for a first course. Following that was two different types of meat dishes and ice cream for dessert. It was definitely my favorite Spanish meal so far for the portions, variety, and the atmosphere of the cute restaurant.
After lunch, we began the three or four hour drive back to Sevilla.
