Seville is the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain, and by the 1960s it carried centuries of history in every stone. Founded as a major port city, it had long served as Spain’s gateway to the Americas. The Casa de Contratación, established in Seville in 1503, regulated all trade between Spain and the New World. For two centuries, gold and silver from the Americas flowed through its mint. By 1588, Seville was the wealthiest and most populated city in Spain, home to around 150,000 people. Centuries later, in the 1960s, it was still a city marked by grandeur — its cathedrals, parks, and festivals drawing visitors from across the world.
The streets of 1960s Seville were a mix of old and new. The 20th century had brought industrial growth — the port was expanded, and factories began to reshape the city’s economy. It was also a decade of quiet political tension. Trade unionism was taking root underground, with workers organizing through the Comisiones Obreras (Workers’ Commissions) inside major factories like Hytasa, the Astilleros shipyard, and Hispano Aviación. These were illegal organizations under Franco’s dictatorship, but workers pressed ahead regardless.
Away from the factories, María Luisa Park offered a peaceful contrast. Donated to the city in 1893 by Princess María Luisa of Spain, the park became a centerpiece of civic life. Its tree-lined paths, fountains, and tiled plazas were a favorite gathering spot for locals and tourists alike. The park had been redesigned for the 1929 Iberoamerican Exposition, which gave Seville a major architectural boost and set the tone for the city’s modern identity.
The Seville Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic churches in the world, remained the spiritual and visual heart of the city. Built between 1401 and 1528 on the site of a former mosque, it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Its bell tower, La Giralda — originally a Moorish minaret — dominates the skyline and became one of the most photographed structures in Spain.
Adjacent to the cathedral stands the Archivo General de Indias — the General Archive of the Indies. This building holds millions of documents relating to Spain’s colonial empire, including maps, letters, and trade records. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the cathedral and the Alcázar palace. In 1960, the archive’s imposing Renaissance façade was as much a landmark as ever.
Semana Santa — Holy Week — is one of Seville’s most defining traditions. Every year in the week before Easter, religious brotherhoods carry enormous floats, called pasos, through the city’s streets. Each paso is decorated with candles and flowers and topped with a sculpted figure of the Virgin Mary or a scene from the Passion of Christ. The processions draw enormous crowds and have been held in Seville for hundreds of years.
Queen Fabiola of Belgium visited Seville during Holy Week in 1965, where she was greeted by a student tuna — a traditional musical group of university students dressed in medieval costumes who play instruments and sing in the streets.
Weeks after Semana Santa, Seville holds the Feria de Abril — the April Fair. First established in 1847 as a livestock fair, it grew into one of Spain’s most celebrated festivals. By the 1960s, it drew famous faces from around the world. Jacqueline Kennedy visited during the fair, photographed on horseback in a picador-style jacket and wide-brimmed hat. Princess Grace of Monaco also attended in 1966. Orson Welles, the American director and actor, was a well-known presence at the Feria, attending multiple times with his daughter Beatrice.
Bullfighting was a central part of the fair’s culture. The bullring at the Real Maestranza, one of the oldest in Spain, hosted some of the most watched fights in the country. Rejoneadores — bullfighters on horseback — were a distinct and skilled part of the tradition. Rafael Peralta was among the most celebrated rejoneadores of the era, performing alongside his brother Ángel.
Seville’s landscape also served as a backdrop for international film productions. Alec Guinness passed through on his way to Seville for location shooting on ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ Later in the decade, in 1968, Spanish-built CASA 2.111 bombers were dressed in Luftwaffe markings at a Seville airfield for Guy Hamilton’s war film ‘Battle of Britain.’ The planes, which were license-built versions of the German Heinkel He 111, were among the most authentic-looking aircraft available for the production.
