Castillo de Luna, Fortified palace in Rota, Spain.
Castillo de Luna is a fortified palace with five perimeter towers arranged around a rectangular plan, featuring a Gothic courtyard at its center. The interior displays Mudéjar-style decorative details on the baseboards, giving it a distinctive character shaped by its medieval builders.
The castle was built by the House of Arcos during their rule in the region and took its name from the marriage of Pedro Ponce de León to a daughter of Álvaro de Luna. It may stand on the site of an earlier Muslim fortified settlement called Rabita Ruta, which had roots in Roman-era references.
The castle now houses Rota's city hall, showing how a medieval fortress has been transformed into the heart of local government and community life. Walking through it, you can see how the building connects the town's past with its present functions.
The castle sits in the heart of Rota's downtown and is easy to spot from the main square, though it functions as the working city hall. It is worth checking locally whether public visits are possible, as its role as the seat of municipal government may limit access times.
The name may derive from the Latin term "Speculum Rotae", connecting medieval castle history with much older Roman-era geography and meaning. This unexpected link shows how names passed through different civilizations and languages over centuries.
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