Five historical facts about Extremadura you probably didn't know about

From Neanderthals and Romans to Christopher Columbus, Napoleon and Franco, Extremadura has often been at the very centre of important historical events. Keep reading to see which ones you are already familiar with and which ones are new.

1. Neanderthals roamed the Extremaduran evergreen woodlands and inhabited its caves as early as the Paleolithic. There are caves with wall art (mostly hand stencils and paintings of animals) that dates back 66,000 years. Ross (from Friends, in case you’ve missed the most watched and rerun TV series of all times) would have a field day here. And you can, too! Ok, a field trip.

2. The Romans, too, set their eyes on Extremadura. The Roman emperor Augustus decided to reward his hard-fighting, sword-swinging soldiers who fought in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, so he had a city built just for them. Naturally, he named it Emerita Augusta (Augustus’ veteran soldiers’ town). Due to its strategic location, the city even became the capital of the westernmost Roman province, Lusitania, and is still going strong today. It’s called Mérida.

3. ​​Extremadura was a popular summer resort, hunting grounds and a spiritual retreat for many Spanish monarchs.
The Catholic monarchs Isabel and Fernando alone visited the region on dozens of occasions. They even met with Christopher Columbus here to discuss his idea of sailing westward to reach the East. How genius is that?! They must have had a glass too many of fine Extremaduran pitarra (local wine) when they agreed to sponsor his journey. The rest is history. 
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Fernando’s relationship with Extremadura, sadly, didn’t end well. On his way to Granada, while travelling through Extremadura, Fernando started feeling unwell and died in a little guesthouse in a little village. Don’t worry, he got a proper royal ceremonial burial and rests in the Royal Chapel of Granada alongside his wife, daughter and son-in-law. 

4. Extremadura is the cradle of the conquistadors. The Spanish-sounding names of the American continent like Albuquerque, Medellín, Trujillo, Guadalupe and many others, are place names native to Extremadura. Whenever a conquistador started a new settlement in the New World, he called it after his hometown. It was an act of pride and belonging, a tribute to his roots. The abundance of these place names shows how many of those young men were from Extremadura.

5. Extremadura was the training ground and starting point for many a successful military operation.  It was here that the Spanish, Portuguese and the English defeated the Napoleonic troops and literally kick-started the French retreat from the Iberian Peninsula. Likewise, during the Civil War, the so-called African troops, under the command of General Franco, initiated their march on Madrid after winning the Battle of Badajoz in the south of Extremadura.

Hasta pronto!