The origines of Jerez de los Caballeros are, as indicated by megalithic monuments that have been excavated, rooted in prehistory. Perhaps the best known example of this is the “Dolmen de Toriñuelo”, which is located in the Dehesa de la Granja as well as that of Valcavado and la Palomilla.
During roman domination, the town was called Jerez or Fama Iulia Seria. It must have been an important city as there have been many archaeological discoveries made that date from that period. Most of these have been uncovered in what was known as the “villa doméstica” of Pomar.
At that time the town was located between two major cities, Itálica and Mérida, all of which are very close to the enigmatically named Silver Route 'la Vía de la Plata'.
Many inscriptions have also been uncovered in Jerez. These cover all types of activity ranging from military to funereal. In all of them people who belonged to roman families are mentioned.
It was Alfonso IX of León who, in his excursions into lower Extremadura, in 1230 reconquered the land definitively from the arabs. The town, then known as “Villa de Xeres”, was ceded to the Order of the Knights Templar and it is to this Order that the present day urban structure, as well as the proud heritage, of the town is due. It is also from this Order that the town takes its name of JEREZ DE LOS CABALLEROS.
There are many legends about the Knights Templar and Jerez de los Caballeros but what is certain is that, as time went on, the town grew in influence and nobility until it was perhaps the most valued possession of the Order. The Knights extended and refortified the castle and built many palaces for the nobility. They also erected the wall that, at one time, surrounded the entire town. To the Templars is also cited the erection of the magnificent church of San Bartolomé over the ruins of one of the oldest churches in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula.
Read more from the website of the Town Hall of Jerez de la Frontera
Moree information:
http://www.jerezdeloscaballeros.es/
http://www.entrepueblos.com/municipio-jerez-caballeros/
http://alcazaba.unex.es/~ymendez/index.html
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