1,700.
Plaza Mayor 1, Tel: 967 38 08 27 .
Wed.
Canto de Los Mayos (30 Apr–1 May), La Romería de la Virgen (26 Aug, 8 Sep), Feria (4–9 Sep).
An important Arab and Christian stronghold, Alcaraz’s military power waned after the Reconquest but its economy flourished around its (now defunct) carpet-making industry.
Standing in the attractive Renaissance Plaza Mayor are the “twin towers” of Tardón and Trinidad , and an 18th-century commodity exchange, the Lonja del Corregidor , with Plateresque decoration. The square is surrounded by lively, narrow streets. On the outskirts of the town are the castle ruins and surviving arch of a Gothic aqueduct. Alcaraz makes a good base for touring the sierras of Alcaraz and Segura.