Moguer, Spain

Welcome to Moguer, a small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 22,623, Moguer is a hidden gem that offers a rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and delicious local cuisine. The present site of Moguer had been home to many human settlements since antiquity. Nonetheless, the founding of the present municipality is generally dated from the establishment of the Señorío de Moguer (Seigneury of Moguer) in 1333. From the 1330s, the population grew rapidly, turning Moguer into an important town with a strong economy based in agriculture, fishing, and trade through the towns river port. Moguer played an important role in the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, with Columbus receiving important support from the abbess of the Santa Clara Monastery, Inés Enríquez, the cleric Martín Sánchez and the landowner Juan Rodríguez Cabezudo. Today, Moguer and nearby Palos de la Frontera are home to the lugares colombinos, a tourist route of places associated with undertaking that voyage. Moguers river port continued to be an important site for seafaring and trade, exporting the local wines and other merchandise to the Americas, Russia and other European countries. Viticulture remained the economic engine into the early 20th century, when the chemical plant at Huelva and, above all, the development of the cultivation of the garden strawberry drove a new period of economic development and demographic growth. As of 2008, 2,278 hectares (5,630 acres) in the municipality are devoted to growing strawberries, 27.5 percent of the national total of 8,296 hectares (20,500 acres), making Moguer Spains leading municipality in this crop. Moguer is also known as the birthplace of poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of Platero y yo. With its rich history, stunning landscapes, and delicious cuisine, Moguer is a must-visit destination for any traveler looking to experience the best of Andalusia.