History of the building

Hotel Palacio Marqués de Arizón is located in a former Cargadores de Indias (West Indies merchants) house, built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was declared a Site of Cultural Interest, as it’s the only complex of its kind preserved in its entirety.

As part of the Historic-Artistic Site of Sanlúcar, this building is a unique testimony to the town's important role in the trade between Spain and the Americas and maintains the characteristics typical of this type of house, which was used as a family residence and for storing goods.

Built in the Baroque style of the old kingdom of Seville, the complex features several different architectural units following successive extensions and transformations, which resulted in two family dwellings, numerous interior courtyards, stores and cellars.

The two residential buildings have characteristics typical of Sevillian Baroque palace houses, such as the sobriety of their façades, their two-storey height adapted to the local weather together with attic, as well as their central courtyard, with marble columns and a central well.

The Cádiz-style watchtower is also worth a mention; from here the departure and arrival of overseas fleets was monitored, and it was originally colourfully decorated with paintings of plants and crosspieces typical of this type of architecture.

The upper floor of the house also has a chapel with a vaulted ceiling, now located in one of the rooms and completely decorated with rococo-style frescoes in red, blue and gold.

The building is named after a family of merchants of Irish origin who first settled in Catalonia before moving to Andalusia. In 1709, Félix Arizón settled in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and, from this house, brought goods from Catalonia across the Mediterranean.

The Arizón family founded one of the most famous trading companies of its time and played a key role in cooperation between Andalusian and Catalan trade in the mid-eighteenth century, participating directly in the development of the Catalan shipping industry to ensure that their goods (mainly wine, brandy and oil, as well as wheat and nuts) arrived safely in Sanlúcar, from where they were distributed to the ports of the Americas.

They even lent Philip V several ships from their fleet and temporarily allowed him to use the warehouses at Casa de Arizón. Furthermore, Jacinto Salvador de Arizón, who was named the first Marquis of Casa Arizón in 1748, made a vast fortune and became an important landowner thanks to his trade skills.

Some family members also carried out charitable work in both the civil and religious spheres. The first Marquis paid for the development of the Plaza de la Ribera (now Plaza del Cabildo), rebuilt the bridge over the San Juan stream, donated to building works at the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites and bequeathed large sums of money to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity, the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites and St. George’s English School. That’s why the murals in the chapel of the house are reminiscent of those in the church of the school.

There are several legends linked to this house that make its history even more unique and mysterious. In 1736, Diego de Arizón was tried and imprisoned in the Castle of San Sebastián in Cádiz for the murders of his wife Margarita Serquera and his butler Juan Peix following an alleged affair.

Diego was pardoned by the king in exchange for 60,000 pesos destined for works at the Royal Palace in Madrid and, repentant, he donated part of his fortune to several convents in Sanlúcar.
According to legend, Margarita was walled up by her husband in the house and her ghost, known as "The White Lady", still wanders the rooms on nights of the full moon.

Oral tradition also tells us that while the Marquis of Arizón was up in the watchtower, he saw his ships entering the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, laden with gold from the West Indies. From there, he watched as one by one they sank in the water and, having lost everything he had invested, he threw himself from the tower in despair. It’s said that when he fell to the ground, he left a bloody palm print on one of the palace walls. The story goes that this mark is still visible today.