Llerena

Llerena became the leading town of the Order of Santiago's lands in southern Extremadura. The order's masters made it a residence, and its authority extended over the surrounding settlements. At the end of the fifteenth century the Inquisition established a tribunal here, adding another institution to the town's importance. Llerena grew rapidly in the sixteenth century despite emigration to the Americas; by 1591 it was the second-largest population centre in Extremadura after Badajoz.