Jerez Gate

Illustration by Arturo Redondo of the Jerez Gate (Puerta de Jerez) in Seville in 1519.

The city of Seville acted as a powerful magnet for all sorts of people. They jostled against one another in crowded places such as the Jerez Gate, which was—and still is—one of the busiest thoroughfares in Seville. Traders, merchants, craftsmen, monks, soldiers, adventurers, vagabonds, and an endless stream of people from all over the world passed through this crowded passage. It stood in front of the elegant home of the recently finished College of Santa María de Jesús, the original building of the University of Seville, founded by Maese Rodrigo Fernández de Santaella. Its beautifully artistic chapel can still be admired today.