The original town of Ubeda was established around 200 B.C. although its real interest lies in the amazing collection of renaissance buildings conserved in the historical centre of the city. The centre has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and strolling around the old buildings, churches, palaces and plazas, is like walking around an enormous open-air musuem.

Baeza, was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites last year. This ancient city dates back to the Moorish occupation in the 9th century, and to the Reconquista in the 13th century. In the 16th century the city was reformed according to the emerging Renaissance style. Architects started to incorporate new ideas from Italy into the urban design. The new emerging style, which later became characteristic of emerging Latin American colonial cities, can still be seen in Baeza.