Cerro del Castillo

The archaeological work carried out here shows the existence of three overlapping fortresses erected in different periods: the remains of a Roman military castellum, an Arab fortress and a medieval castle. 

At the archaeological site you can currently see the different ways in which each fortress was built, but what impresses the most is the view of the Bay of Cadiz, the neighbouring nature reserves and, on a clear day, the African coast. 

Vestiges of the Bronze Age: a good amount of material vestiges have been discovered, dating back to the Late Bronze Age. Several types of handmade pottery have been unearthed, which in general were created with care, and, to a lesser extent, polished stone tools (axes-adzes and pestles) and carved tools (sickle tooth). A few pieces of red slip ware and fragments of amphorae were also discovered, which bear witness to the Phoenician-Punic presence here, as reflected in traditional historiography. It is understood that the occupation of this altitude back then was always for strategic-defensive purposes and to control the land that you can see from the top. Over the centuries the summit of Cerro del Castillo was especially used to the defend the city and to control the area, given its strategic location and height. This is why there were several fortresses built here over the years, as suggested by the documentary and bibliographic sources and, undeniably, by the archaeological data. 

Roman military castellum: it is thought that what has been identified as a military castellum was built as soon as the Roman arrived. Most of the walled enclosure has been unearthed and in some parts it is over 2 metres high. The longest side (east), is about 60 metres long and has six small solid towers-buttresses set at regular intervals. On the south side there are two hollow quadrangular towers, with the south-east and south-west sides measuring 10 metres (the west side has only been partially discovered). Archaeologists believe that the moat on the north face, carved out of the hillside, with a 10-metre span and over 8 metres deep, has to be Roman. This Roman castellum was still used during the High Empire,  but more as a symbol of the Roman power in the area than as an actual military construction. According to the data that the projects managers are working with, it is the only one of its kind in Spain.  Arab fortress: In the 11th century the Almoravids built a new castle here, using the rammed earth technique. Some of the stretches have been found on site, as well as several parts of the wall that fell outside the fortress. 

Medieval castle: Towards the end of the 15th century, a new castle was built, commissioned by the First Duke of Medina Sidonia, with the aim of reinforcing the town's defence. The new fortress, made of small hewn stones, battered in the first stretch, as a new poliorcetic feature after they started using firearms, was attached to the Arab fortress.