Agricultural landscape of Carmona

Located 34.5 km (21.4 mi) east of Seville, the city of Carmona lies at the heart of an area known as Campiña de Carmona. It is one of the most populated parts of Los Alcores. Here, the landscape has been shaped by sediment dating back to the Miocene. A particularly defining feature is the sharp contract between rugged rocks, plains and rolling hills. The city is connected to the rest of Andalusia and Spain by numerous roads, in particular the  A-4 , which links Carmona to Seville, Córdoba and Madrid. Indeed, Carmona has historically been easily reached from other parts of Spain, beginning with when the old settlement was located near to the historical mouth of the Guadalquivir, an important waterway connecting Lower Andalusia. This was around 70 km (43 mi) inland from its current location in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Two other factors historically contributed to its importance. The first was its thriving agricultural sector, made possible by the nearby river Corbones. The second is its location on a plateau, on a ridge formed from Los Alcores at 234 m (768 ft) above sea level. This means the top of the city offers sweeping views of the surrounding countryside, something that allowed it to control the area and become a place of great strategic importance.

It is estimated that humans arrived in what is today Carmona around 500,000 years ago, during the Lower Palaeolithic period. However, the archaeological record of Carmona dates back to around 3000 BC, with an urban settlement being created by the Tartessos in the 8th Century BC. During the times of the Turdetani and Carthaginians, Carmo (as it was called by the Romans) was one of the main settlements of the Lower Guadalquivir Valley. It later became an important stop on the Roman Via Herculea, which connected the Bay of Cádiz to towns and villages in the provinces of Seville and Córdoba. The road later became known as Via Augusta (the longest and busiest of the major roads built by the Romans in ancient Hispania), and traces of it can be seen almost two millennia later, on the outskirts of the city. The strategic importance of Carmo explains why it was quickly captured by the Romans between the end of the 3rd century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The settlement was extensively Romanised, becoming a major crossroads on the Via Augusta, being made a town by Julius Caesar, and then being conferred the status of a city by the first Roman emperor Caesar Augustus.

After the fall of Rome and later the Visigothic Kingdom in 711, Carmona became the capital of the Kūra of Qarmūnâ, one of the administrative districts that made up the political structure of al-Andalus. Following the disintegration of the Caliphate of Qurṭubah (Córdoba), Qarmūnâ became its own taifa before being captured and integrated into the Taifa of Išbīliya (Seville). The Islamic domination lasted until the city was captured by Ferdinand III of Castile in 1247. Carmona became one of the most important concejos in the Kingdom of Seville and the whole of Andalusia in the Late Middle Ages. The early modern period saw the consolidation of the power held by the city’s patriciate and landowners. It also became wealthier due to its thriving agricultural sector and commerce. This provided the funds necessary to build a number of convents, churches and palaces, which can still be seen in the city centre today. The Baroque period had a particularly profound impact on Carmona due to its location near to Seville and dependence on the provincial capital. This can be seen in its architecture, paintings, gold work and sculptures.

During the 19th century, the city’s nobility and bourgeoisie cemented their position, whilst the Church’s power declined. This period also saw the arrival of the first visitors from abroad, who were part of the movement known as Romanticism. In 1881, the English archaeologist George Edward Bonsor began to unearth relics from the city’s past, beginning with the Roman necropolis. The importance of this discovery would see it be declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931 and led to the founding of the Archaeological Society of Carmona at the end of the 19th century.

During the twentieth century, the growth of the city, which had begun in the previous century, continued. As of 2022, its population was 29,279. Tourism also increased with the opening of Parador Nacional de Carmona hotel. Today the city’s welcomes a large of number of visitors annually, who can choose from around a dozen hotels.

The city’s rich historical heritage, which it goes to great lengths to preserve, saw its old town become a Place of Cultural Interest in 1963. Today, visitors will find many listed buildings and artefacts from its past, as well as a vibrant local culture shaped by a number of festivals and ceremonies.

Carmona continues to have a thriving agricultural sector, with 11,600 hectares of olive groves and more than 20,000 hectares of fields of wheat. Two of Carmona’s landscapes feature on the Register of Landscapes of Cultural Interest in Andalusia. These are: the Agricultural Landscape of Carmona, which this route takes you through, and the Agricultural Landscape of Los Alcores and the Plain of the river Corbones. Panoramic views of both can be seen from the city’s viewpoints. The city as a whole can be best appreciated from the fields that surround it. Here you will see how the walled city, with its whitewashed houses, has been been built on a rocky formation. You will also notice its urban sprawl, which stretches westwards across a plain before the Gate to Seville.

To sum up, this route aims to show you a number of Carmona’s landscapes up close. It also helps you understand the millennia of history that have shaped them and given rise to very distinct urban and rural landscapes. It begins at the Roman necropolis and amphitheatre, and ends at the Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro (the current site of Parador Nacional de Carmona). It will take you through the walled city and into the surrounding area, to landmarks such as the Gate to Seville, the Gate to Córdoba, the Roman bridge, and the hermitages to Our Lady de Gracia and San Mateo. Along the way are various viewpoints.

If you are coming from Seville (34 km (21 mi) from Carmona), you should look for directions to the  A-4 . From Marchena you can take the  A-380 , from Alcalá de Guadaíra the  A-398 , from Lora del Rio the  A-457 , and from Brenes the  A-462 . The route is thought to be made almost completely by walk.