It is located on a hill, from which you can see the entire Marquisate of Zenete. Built between 1509 and 1512 on the ruins of an Arab fortress as proof of the conquest of the Nasrid empire.
This castle-palace was the capital of the Lordship of the Mendoza family and, therefore, a majestic symbol of their power.
In 1490, they granted the title of lordship of these lands to Cardinal Mendoza, which would later become the Marquisate of Zenete. This present was granted as a reward for the services the Cardinal rendered to the Catholic Monarchs.
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar y Mendoza, the Cardinal’s first son, inherited the title of the Marquisate, being the first lord of these lands.
The Castle-Palace of La Calahorra is the result of the peculiar character of the Marquis. In addition to his reputation for violence, he was a womanizer. When he was widowed of his wife, he fell in love with a fifteen year old girl, whom he kidnapped and forced to marry him.
With the usual vehemence of the Marquis, he had the castle built as a gift to his young wife. His daughter, Mencía de Mendoza, succeeded her father at the age of 14 as Marquise of Zenete.
