Villanueva de la Serena

Villanueva de la Serena began as a settlement of farmers from nearby Medellín. In 1303 Ferdinand IV gave it to the Order of Alcántara for resettlement, and it became known by several names as its administrative ties changed. A privilege granted by the order's master in 1423 freed the town from dependence on Magacela and recorded its present name. The order moved its priory here from Magacela in 1504, and Villanueva became the principal town of the lands of La Serena.