Alcala de Guadaira is located in the suroccidental quadrant of the province of Seville, being bordering with the term of the capital. In 1.996 it counted on a population of 56,313 inhabitants, most of which resided in the main body. Between the remaining organizations of population of the term they emphasize the Acebuchal and the Solitude.
According to some authors, the foundation of this locality must to the Greeks, that they would denominate Hienipa. Also an Iberian military camp had to exist here and the Roman villa of Ordo Hinipiensis, on whose rest the castle and the walls are reconstructed at time almohade. Its present name comes from the Arab expression Al-Kalat Wad Ayra, that means "castle of the river of supplies". Alcala is conquered by king Fernando III in the middle of century XIII, happening to depend on the city of Seville.
The original location is located on a hill of extended form, surrounded to the south by a strong slope that descends towards the Guadaira river. It agrees to emphasize the existence of a spring in the western slope and of several caves.
During the Roman domination, the hill, located in the suroccidental end of the present nucleus, would be occupied by a military establishment. This character continues at Muslim time, but as the agrarian operation of surrounding earth progresses, it is been based civil populace in the Eastern part of the hill, creating an authentic urban structure and arriving at his colmatación in the middle of century XIII. The increase of the population causes the first suburb in the South slope of the primitive hill and throughout the ways that connect the doors with the old Roman bridge.
After the taking of Granada at the end of century XV, the character of military establishment disappears completely and the depopulation of the high city begins. Alcala expands towards the east occupying the slope, throughout the new directional axes of the urban growth, the streets Alcala Orti and Our Lady of the Aguila. At the beginning of century XVI, the center of the population is located already to the east of the hill. The increase of population also impels the urbanization of the space to the south of the street Our Lady of the Aguila, where two parallel streets are created, turning to that route in true urban axis of the new historical center, whose southern limits are the old Seville-Malaga highway, the railroad and the river. During century XIX they are colmatando the urban emptinesses created by the linear development towards the east, taking place openings of cross-sectional streets and establishments of edge to the north of the churches of Santiago and San Sebastián.
In century XX an important demographic increase takes place, that it brings like consequence a great city-planning growth. One canalizes towards the north and the east, taking as it bases the prolongation of the primitive axis that leaves from the church of Santiago and that is curved gradually towards the north, the continuation of the central axis that leaves from the seat of the City council (street Our Lady of the Aguila) and the extension of the southern edge in parallel for the river and for the east. The different sectors are colmatando of constructions, being more important the northern development (partly structured by the axis of the street Silos and that arrives until the same limit that supposes the layout of the new Railcar of the 92) which the Eastern one, produced throughout the route that unites the primitive establishment with the bullring, in the direction of Carmona. Establishments to the other side of the river take place for the first time also, occupying the hill of Oromana with urbanizations of isolated unifamiliares houses (Pine groves of Oromana, the Juncosa, Field of the Pines, the Hills) and being constructed a new parallel bridge to the Roman.
In the northern margin of the A-92 diverse industrial facilities are located. Alcala is a municipality in which the secondary sector has great importance. Zones like Property Dolores, North Alcala, Pantaleón and the Crossing add around 140 you have of industrial ground, in addition to the polygons of San Nicholas, Fridex, the Network, Polysol and the Chaparral.
Between its constructions of artistic historical interest they emphasize the ruins of the castle, the churches of San Sebastián, Santiago and San Miguel, the hermitage of Our Lady of the Aguila and the old Pósito (century XVIII).
