Trujillo

A small town on our route beckons us as we see it rising above the flat land around. Trujillo is famous for being the home of the Pizarro family and Extremadura was the region of Spain from which 2,500 conquistadors followed Pizarro and Cortez to the Indies and South America in the early 16th century. The vast wealth that came from the conquest of Central and South America and the subjugation of the Aztec and Inca Empires meant that places like Trujillo flourished although Pizarro never actually settled back in the town to enjoy his wealth.

The Plaza Mayor was built of money from the Pizarro family and it provides an impressive centre for the town. A statue of Pizarro on horseback dominates - it started off as Cortez and was rejected by the Mexican government (politically incorrect one fears) and so was presented to Trujillo as being of Pizarro. To be honest even we found it difficult to tell the two apart.

Above the Plaza is the 10th century Muslim castle and city surrounded by walls that are still standing and, thanks to renovations conducted over time, many buildings are in a fine state of repair and give an accurate impression of what the place must have been like when re-taken by the Christians in the late 13th century. From the walls there are great views across the surround plains which are dotted with distant hills.

We spend a pleasant few hours wandering the town in warm sunshine before setting off for our next stopping point Mérida, 1400 years and 50 miles south-west and full of Roman ruins. Our campsite for the night is on the edge of town and in a grove of eucalyptus trees – just us and a German couple with teenage daughter so no problem in finding a shower!!