Trujillo - historic gateway to a terra incognita
- Mark Eveleigh
- Mar 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 25
In Spain they say that only people who had known the vast expanses of Extremadura could ever have conquered the 'New World.' It is easy to imagine that only the hardship of life in such a remote and wild region during the middle ages could have spawned the mix of desperate courage and ruthless ambition that drove so many extremeños to take their chances in a true terra incognita on the other side of the Atlantic.
As I drove across the plains towards the ancient town of Trujillo I tried to contemplate what it must have been like for such land-locked, insular people to take to the sea. Certainly they were no strangers to endless horizons: an ocean-like stretch of swaying grassland billowed out towards a landscape that seemed to be more African than European in scale. Mirages swam under the intensity of a heat that is known in these parts as el sol de justicia - the sun of justice. Winters here can be bitter and bleak but summertime temperatures are capable of rising to a lizard-baking 45°C.
Buzzards and vultures were throwing ominous shadows across the strip of sticky tarmac when the towers and hilltop fortress of Trujillo finally came into view. Arriving from the north I could see that little would have changed on this skyline since the 16th century when almost six hundred people (perhaps as much as a fifth of the town's population) joined the journey westward to take part in the conquest of South America….and to found no less than twenty-five new Trujillos in the New World.
The town's most famous son is Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire. In 1532, with a squadron of just 180 men, Pizarro crossed the Andes and thwarted an Inca army of 30,000 to capture the emperor, Atahualpa. An impressive statue of the town's most fearless - and ruthless - warrior stands guard over Trujillo's lovely old Plaza Mayor. On the southern edge of the plaza is the Pizarro ancestral home, now known as Palacio de la Conquista. Its façade is decorated with warlike images – raised swords and plunging battleships. There are sculptures of Francisco Pizarro with his lover Inés Yupanqui (sister to Atahualpa) and, on the other side of the building, his brother Hernando Pizarro with his wife (who was also his niece) Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui.
There is also a curiously honest scene showing chained Inca lords surrounding Atahualpa as the Inca king reaches into the basket which presumably contains his ransom money. Several apologetic Spanish historians have tried to explain that the chains were meant to signify the 'links of friendship between the two countries,' but the unhappy expressions on the Inca faces (and the fact that Atahualpa was summarily executed) don't add much weight to that argument.
There are those in Trujillo who believe that the Pizarros were cursed by Atahualpa; four of the five Pizarro brothers died in feuds not long after the conquest of Peru. Francisco himself is buried in the cathedral at Lima, the city he founded.
In these enlightened times the actual daring and sheer determination of his expedition is often overlooked. Anyone who has seen the great deserts that surround that other Trujillo in Peru or who has spent even a short time trekking in the Andes will have a vague idea of what it must have been like for the Spanish pioneers who crossed the backbone of the America's, during what historians now believe was a minor ice-age.
Pizarro's boyhood friend Francisco de Orellana returned from equally audacious travels as Trujillo's other great explorer. During an epic eight-month voyage he rafted down the Amazon in an unsuccessful quest for the gold and treasure that was said to be found in
the jungle. (It seems that the journey may have been a frustrating one in several ways: it was during this 1541 voyage that Orellana supposedly met a race of statuesque female warriors whom he named after the Amazons of Greek mythology). He was granted royal permission to continue his explorations but died within a year of his return to the American continent.
The humble village of Medellín (70km south of Trujillo) is where, in 1485, Hernán Cortés was born. His actions changed history, paving the way for Spanish rule in Mexico. Cortés was in his mid-thirties when - with a fatal mix of clever diplomacy and ruthless warfare - he brought the entire Aztec Empire to its knees. Though controversial, his legacy is undeniable - shaped by ambition, risk-taking, and a relentless drive that started in the quiet streets of Medellín and ended in a new empire...and around a dozen other places around the world called Medellín!
Despite Trujillo's warlike history there can be few more peaceful and charming towns in all Spain. It remains one of the country's most perfectly preserved mediaeval citadels and inside the old Muslim battlements and around the tangled alleyways there is a real wealth of wonderful churches and palaces.
In the evening, when that Spanish sun loosens its hold, the local's gather on Plaza Mayor. From the rooftops the staccato call of the storks clatters down from the steeples with a sound like tumbling roof-tiles. An old man stopped to point them out: "Only nine-thirty and, look, they're already all in their usual spots. There on the palacio is La Alta [the high one] and there, on the other side, La Pinta [the speckled one]. Even La Familia are already roosting on the St Martin belltower..."
On a terrace by the plaza I drank local wine and tucked into a dish of migas. This mixture of breadcrumbs, olive oil, onions and (in this case) chunks of chorizo and cured ham was the staple diet of the shepherds who traditionally drove their herds down to the Extremaduran plains to avoid the highland winters. The province's name came from the Spanish word extremar, meaning 'to go to extremes.' The sort of simple, tasty country food that is typical of the region must have fuelled many a long trek to Seville and the departing caravels.
Best places to eat in Trujillo old town:
Typical spend (per person):
€ = <€13
€€ = €13-€30
€€€ = €30<
Parador de Trujillo - €€€
Calle Sta. Beatriz de Silva, 1
The 16th-century Franciscan convent of Santa Clara is the unlikely setting for a fresh new dining space that celebrates the best of regional cuisine. But then this spot is all about tradition with a modern twist. Highlights are zorongollo extremeño (a sort of salad of peppers, tomato, eggs and onions), beef sirloin with torta del Casar sauce and melted cheese ice cream with Villuercas and Ibores honey.
1:30pm-4pm, 8:30pm-10:30pm.
El Rincon De La Reina - €€
Plazuela Corral del Rey, 4
Perhaps Trujillo's most popular eatery this venue is eliably open all afternoon (and late into the night)...and reliably serves great-value meals. The pistachio-encrusted albondigas are highly recommended and for lovers of pâté it's hard to beat with goose, deer, pheasant and partridge featuring among an assortment of almost a dozen flavours. Inside you'll find a wonderful selection of local wines and cheeses.
Midday-1am
La Bodeguita Trujillo - €
Plaza Mayor, 4
Incredible value...especially for a restaurant that is right on Trujillo's Plaza Mayor. The sort of no-nonsense Spanish bar for which Extremdura is so widely celebrated. You'll get anything from fried eggs and chips (€7) to an entire suckling pig (€180). If you can't make up your mind, La Bodeguita's resident mixologist can offer a great selection of classic cocktails while you think it over.
Friday-Sunday: 12:30pm-2am.
Wednesday & Thursday: 7pm-1am
Closed Monday & Tuesday.