Prior to the 11th century the city of Alcalá de los Gazules was named ‘Qalat at Yazula,’ after the ‘Castle of the Gazules’ built by the Muslim conquerors. This was when the city was still in the hands of the Moors following the invasion. From then, the city was passed from Muslim to Christian hands several times over starting from the reign of the King of Granada until Fernando III 1248 and back again to the Muslims in 1248. The final Christian reconquest of Alcalá de los Gazules happened in 1264 under the leadership of King Alfonso X el Sabio, nicknamed Alfonso the Wise. This brought the city back under Roman Catholic reign. More churches and convents were later built when the Duke and Duchess of Alba took over the management of the city.
