More famous people

Don Gutierre de Sotomayor (1400-1453)

He was born in Puebla de Alcocer. He was lord of the castle, territories of Puebla de Alcocer and Master of the Order of Alcántara.

On 7^thApril 1445 he received from King Juan II of Castilla the donation of the Village of Puebla de Alcocer. Also falling upon him the title of Lord of La Puebla I.

He died in 1453 and was buried in the parish church of Santiago Apóstol. His remains now rest in Belalcázar (Córdoba).

Fray Juan de la Puebla (1453-1495)

He was born in the Palace of the Dukes of Osuna (currently the Casa de Cultura (House of Culture)) in the year 1453, being the eldest son of D. Alonso de Sotomayor (First Count of Belalcázar) and Dª Elvira Manrique de Zuniga.

His given name was Gutierre, like his grandfather, D. Gutierre de Sotomayor, therefore he´s called Gutierre II.

He retired to the monastery of Guadalupe taking the habit of the Jerónimos aged 18 years. Later, he would enter the Franciscan Order. He played a significant role as a reformer of the Franciscan Order and founded a large number of convents, among them the Santa Maria de la Paz, known today as the Convent of San Francisco in Puebla de Alcocer.

Alonso Diego López de Zúñiga Sotomayor and Guzmán (1578 – 1619)

It was a Spanish nobleman of the House of Zúñiga who owned several titles, including tenth Count of Belalcázar and tenth Viscount of Puebla de Alcocer. The poets of the time (up to Góngora, who dedicated the Solitudes) emphasized their repeated gratitude to him.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, one of the greatest Spanish writers of all time, dedicated to him for his chivalry, gifts and patronage his masterpiece The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote, published in 1605.

On the cover of the first part, we see the dedication to our Viscount, which reads: » Dedicated to the Duke of  Béjar: Marqués de Gibraleón, Count of Benalcaçar, Viscount of Puebla de Alcozer, Lord of the villages of Capilla, Curiel and Burguillos «.

Fray Fernando de Moraga (1580-1619)

He was born in Puebla de Alcocer in 1580 and dedicated his life to preaching. He went around the world (conquering the Americas) in the service of the Crown and the Church; for all these journeys he was nicknamed “The second Marco Polo”.

He returned to Spain in 1619, although his ship sank off the coast of Portugal where he died. He is buried in the Church of Santiago Apóstol, where you can observe his granite headstone.

Antonio Hernández Gil (1915-1994)

He was born in Puebla de Alcocer in 1915, he has been one of the most successful contemporary characters in the legal and political world.

He was president of the Parliament Courts during the Spanish transition and was a prominent member of the judiciary, where he chaired the General Council of the Judiciary (GCJ) and the Supreme Court.

He contributed to the development of the current Spanish Constitution and delivered numerous speeches. To highlight who delivered the investiture ceremony of HM Juan Carlos I as Doctor Honoris Causa by the Complutense University and by all Spanish universities, 20^thDecember, 1984.

He died in Madrid at 79 years old.