In the 13th century, specifically in 1245, after five centuries of the Spanish Reconquest, it was time to fulfil the goal set by King Fernando III and his mother, Doña Berenguela, to attempt the conquest of Seville. The Santo Rey, accompanied by his second wife, Doña Juana de Ponthieu, began the campaign, having already conquered Córdoba and overcome the obstacles in Carmona. They realised they could not leave the wealthy Guadalquivir riverbank in Moorish hands, as Carmona, from its vantage point in the Campiña, provided a direct path to Seville.

Thus, they redirected their horses, armed escorts, and wagons, and, overcoming varying difficulties, occupied Tocina—which they handed over to the Order of Malta or Saint John of Jerusalem that supported and aided them—, Cantillana, Gerena, and Alcalá del Río, as well as all the farmhouses and haciendas that lay in their path. Some of these would eventually become significant towns in the future.

And so, in 1247, they arrived at our farmhouses and the Cerro Macareno Archaeological Site. It is no surprising that, as the legend says, they climbed the site’s hill, the only elevated point in the vast plain, to gaze at Seville. They were eager and expectant as they neared Seville, the undisputed capital of al-Ándalus for over 200 years, renowned for its glory and refinement, which was much talked about in the warlike and “hick” Castile.

And so, in 1247, to watch their back and have a place to shelter and heal the wounded during the foreseeing long and difficult campaign, both the King and the Queen—I always refer to “the King and the Queen” on equal footing because, Queen Juana’s role and prominence are documented to be as significant as her husband’s—decided to establish a military field hospital. They chose to place the hospital in the farmhouse atop a small hill that stood out along the path from Alcalá and Lobera to the Macarena Gate in Seville. It is said that the wise King remarked, “Fagamos un hospital de sangre en esta arrinconada del río” (Let us establish a military field hospital in this nook of the river). He said this because that farmhouse was situated at the angle where the Guadalquivir River bends southward. Thus, they did, and in that moment, people began to gather, and the town was founded.

And who should be tasked with the maintenance of that military field hospital? Naturally, it was the Order of Chivalry—half monks, half soldiers—who had been closet to the Monarchs, namely the aforementioned Order of Malta or Saint John of Jerusalem. The Maltese Cross of this Order adorns one of the fields of our municipal coat of arms. Moreover, this Order was granted extensive lands in the town’s surroundings after the conquest and following the distribution of territory by their son, the future King Alfonso X el Sabio. At the same time, small plots of land, farmhouses, and folds (Majaloba, Majarabique, etc.) were granted to the cup-bearers, chamberlains, squires, and armed escorts trusted by the Monarchs. These were people of humble beginnings but close to the King, who “deserved” some wild lands like ours for their many and continuous services. They were given their “reward” in a region not at risk—the northern part of Seville—in case of a potential counterattack by the defeated Moorish, who were situated much further south.

Written by Manuel Alfonso Rincón.
(Historian from La Rinconada)