Belalcázar

During the early modern period, Belalcázar was the seat of its own county, held first by the Duke of Béjar and later linked to the County of Ayamonte. The local council operated under the lord's authority — each year, the lord selected officials from shortlists put forward by the town. Ecclesiastically the town belonged to the bishopric of Córdoba, but in civil and administrative terms it fell under the province of Extremadura, an arrangement that would persist for centuries.

The local economy rested on farming and livestock. The count was by far the largest landowner, with holdings of around 20,000 hectares. Ordinary residents made up the shortfall by working communal lands belonging to the town itself.

The French occupation during the Peninsular War (1810–1812) left a mark. Napoleon's commanders chose Belalcázar as an operational hub, posting a major garrison there to control the communication routes between Extremadura and La Mancha. Spanish resistance organised itself in guerrilla bands; the most notable was led by a priest, Clemente Arribas, who eventually commanded more than 800 fighters. The occupation lasted two years and caused serious damage to the local economy.

With the restoration of the absolute monarchy in 1814, the Duke of Osuna — then holder of the county — recovered partial jurisdiction over the territory, though the feudal system itself was abolished in 1837. The territorial reorganisation of 1833 finally placed Belalcázar within the province of Córdoba, where it has remained.

Later in the nineteenth century, the railway arrived in the area with the opening of the Ciudad Real–Badajoz line. Belalcázar had its own station, though the actual facilities sat within the neighbouring municipality of El Viso. A second line, Almorchón–Belmez, was also opened around that time but made no stop in the town.

Belalcázar is counted among the most monument-rich towns in northern Córdoba province, with a concentration of religious and civic buildings that is unusual for a place of its size.

The castle is the dominant landmark, built in the fifteenth century and visible from a good distance across the surrounding landscape. Two convents survive from the same era: Santa Clara de la Columna and San Francisco de los Mártires. The parish church of Santiago el Mayor spans several centuries of construction, and the town also retains two ermitas — Nuestra Señora de la Consolación and Nuestra Señora de Gracia de las Alcantarillas. A hospital dedicated to San Antonio de Padua, a former granary building (pósito), and three Civil War bunkers — La Pajuela, Cerro de Armijo, and Cachiporro — complete a historical record that runs from the medieval period to the twentieth century.

Among the civic buildings, the town hall dates from the late nineteenth century, designed by the Córdoba architect Rafael de Luque y Lubián. Several manor houses still show their noble coats of arms on their façades. The most notable is the Casa Grande, an eighteenth-century house associated with the writer and journalist Andrés García de la Barga (known as Corpus Barga). Now ruined, it was built in local stone with a two-section façade organised around giant pilasters and a decorative balcony-portal, all set against whitewashed walls. The former Osuna estate administration building has a granite façade and displays coats of arms brought from the castle.

The old public wash-houses and the Fuente del Pilar fountain, which dates from the eighteenth century, are also worth finding — from the fountain there is a clear view back up to the castle.