Magacela

Magacela's history reaches back to prehistory. A dolmen on the plain dates to around 3000 BC, and rock paintings survive on the walls of sheltered outcrops in the hills. A decorated Bronze Age stele — the Estela de Magacela — points to the settlement's considerable importance in ancient times; the original is now in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid, and a replica stands in the town.

The town was held under Muslim rule before being reconquered by Frey Arias Pérez, Master of the Order of Alcántara, during the reign of Fernando III. On 24 April 1234, the king granted Magacela to the Order of Alcántara in exchange for Trujillo. In 1253 and 1254, the boundaries between Magacela, Hornachos, and Medellín were formally drawn, fixing the territorial limits between the Orders of Alcántara and Santiago. Magacela became the head of its district and the seat of the Prioral House, making it the centre of repopulation for the surrounding area — a process that was not easy, which helps explain the significant Moorish population that remained in the town for some time, as also happened in Hornachos and Benquerencia.

Decline set in when the Priorate was moved to Villanueva de la Serena, apparently because water supply on the hill had become scarce and difficult. After the fall of the Old Regime, Magacela became a constitutional municipality in Extremadura, and from 1834 it was incorporated into the judicial district of Villanueva de la Serena. The 1842 census recorded 286 households and 1,114 residents.

On 7 March 1994, Magacela was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural with the status of conjunto histórico, in recognition of its many historic urban buildings. The parish church is dedicated to Santa Ana and belongs to the archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz.