Portus gaditanus

The city of El Puerto de Santa María had two notable moments of splendor in its almost 800 years of occupation in ancient times (3rd century BC – 6th century AD).

The first of them  belongs to its own foundation as a extension of the city of Gades, the current Cádiz in Roman times, in the same way that the city of Ostia was the port for imperial Rome. This occurred because of the Hispanic soldier and politician Lucio Cornelio Balbo “The Minor” around the year 19 before our era; making the population a center of commerce with its corresponding infrastructures immersed in the Via Augusta and the artificial maritime route to Gades.

The second can almost be described as a renaissance produced in the Byzantine Era, after the recuperatio Imperii of Emperor Justinian. At that time, the city became the most populous center in the area.

In Castillo de San Marcos you can enjoy testimonies of this time, since it was a very important place for the city of Portus. From being part of the Balbo port infrastructure, to housing a late-antique religious center accompanied by a graveyard; you will be able to see remains of these Roman buildings in the form of columns, basements of walls or basilica elements .

Do not hesitate to book your ticket!