Mairena del Alcor
Municipality belonging to the Campiña, located on a hill from which it dominates the countryside.
Birthplace of Antonio Mairena, the master of modern flamenco, it conserves many monuments of cultural interest, such as the Castillo de Luna, the Church of the Asunción, the Hermitage of San Sebastián and the Hermitage of Cristo de la Cárcel.
History
Its name may have come form the Arab Maharama, meaning a group of farms.
The numerous remains discovered seem to indicate that the first settlements date back to the Chalcolithic.
During the period of Al-Andalus the castle, which still exists, was built.
The Christian conquest was undertaken by Ferdinand III in 1247.
Alphonso XI ceded Mairena del Alcor to the Duke of Osuna in 1342. The latter built his palace in the town. Later it passed to the marqués de Cádiz, Rodrigo Ponce de León, who rebuilt the castle.
The town grew considerably between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Eminent citizens
Manolo Mairena, singer and song-writer.
Antonio Gavira Alba, sculptor.
José María del Rey, writer.
Calixto Sánchez Marín, singer and song-writer.
