El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia.
The town of El Puerto de Santa María is located 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Cádiz, across the bay of Cádiz .
Culture
Listed are a few of the main fiestas in the area:
- Spring Carnival: Cádiz is the home of Carnival with fancy dress and parades in the streets usually ending on the Tuesday 47 days before Easter.
- Semana Santa: Holy Week the week that leads up to Easter Sunday is a wonderful time to enjoy the area with its street parades and long lines of penitents and big crowds. In El Puerto de Santa María, there are daily parades from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
- Campeonato de España (Motorbikes Races): A weekend fiesta of music and dance in April World Championships of Motorcycling.
- Feria del Vino Fino (Spring’s fair): El Puerto de Santa María’s local week of fiesta, dancing sherry drinking and sevillana dancing this is usually in the middle of May. This is the principal festival is the Feria de Primavera (Spring Fair), held between the fifth and sixth week after Holy Week. In recent years, it has coincided with May 1.
- Romería del Rocio: Festive pilgrimage of up to one million people to the village of Rocio in Almonte, Huelva, usually around the third week of May.
- Hogueras de San Juan: Midsummer bonfires and fireworks on the beaches in most areas of Cádiz on 23 June.
- Dia de la Virgen del Carmen: One of the most popular Saint of El Puerto de Santa María and all fishermen is the Virgen Del Carmen, and on the 16th of July, her image (statue) is taken from the local Church, carried into the sea on board a fishing boat, and then paraded around the town. A general day of festivities.
- Virgen de los Milagros: The saint of the city is La Virgen de los Milagros (Virgin of the Miracles). The festivity is on September the 8th. Her image is taken from the principal church and carried to the street, and then paraded around the town over a carpet of flowers. It is a local day of festivities.
Main sights
- Bullring of El Puerto, which dates back to 1880 with space for 15,000 spectators.
- Iglesia Mayor Prioral, known from 1486
- Castle of San Marcos, a fortified church built over the remains of a 10th-century Islamic mosque. It was built by order of Alfonso X of Castile from 1364, also using parts of an ancient Roman edifice nearby.
- Monastery of the Victory (early 16th century), built by the Dukes of Medinaceli
- Hermitage of Santa Clara (16th-18th century)
- Convent of the Holy Spirit (15th century)
- Church of San Francisco (next to San Luis Gonzaga building)
- Church of San Joaquín
- Convent of Santo Domingo
- Hospital of San Juan de Dios
- Convent of Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
- Convent of La Concepción
- Chapel of Aurora
- Monastery of San Miguel
- Hospital of Divina Providencia (Hospitalito)
- Palace of Aranibar
- Palace of Almirante Valdivieso
- Antiguo Matadero
- Palace of Imblusqueta
- Palace of Marqués de Villarreal y Purullena
- Palace of Álvarez-Cuevas
- Casa Vizarrón (Casa de las cadenas)
- Casa de los Rivas
- Antiguo Pósito
- Casa de los Diezmos
- Fountain of Galeras
- Casa de la Placilla
- Casa de Roque Aguado
- Fountain of prison
- San Luis Gonzaga building
- Antigua Aduana
- Antigua Lonja (“Ancient Loggia”), located in the port and dating to the 18th century.
- Museo Arqueológico Municipal
- Several towers
El Puerto de Santa María is situated in the middle of the Parque natural Bahia de Cádiz. This include 2-square-kilometer (0.77 sq mi)) of pine forest which form one part of the three ecosystems in the area. An endangered species of chameleon along with other reptiles and birds of immense variety can be found in the forest. Egyptian mongoose can also be spotted in the area. The area boasts two other natural parks, the Sierra de Grazalema and El Coto Donaña.
