Sierra de Aznar

Sierra de Aznar, located southwest of Arcos de la Frontera at Cerro del Moro in the rural Perdiz district, represents an extraordinary Roman archaeological site spanning the prosperous Hispano-Roman period from the second century before Christ through the fourth century after Christ. The excavation reveals a grand city of unknown name that later witnessed occupation by Almohades forces between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The site's most remarkable feature is its sophisticated hydraulic engineering: a complex water management system called the Castellum Aquae, incorporating water capture facilities (caput aquae), cleaning pools (piscinae limariae), and transport infrastructure surrounded by extensive defensive walls. This advanced water engineering infrastructure reveals the prosperity and engineering capabilities of this ancient settlement, where water represented the critical resource sustaining urban life in this challenging terrain.